DMK's two-day state conference expected to rejuvenate workers

Hurt by recent strains in its first family over leadership squabbles, DMK will seek to rejuvenate itself at the two-day 10th State Conference in Tiruchirapalli, where party president M Karunanidhi is likely to put his supporters in poll-battle mode for the Lok Sabha elections.
The 90 year-old patriarch will tomorrow officially inaugurate the conference, expected to be utilised to enthuse party workers whose spirits have been low since the severe drubbing at the hands of arch rival AIADMK in the May 2011 assembly elections.
Contrary to expectations of a good show, DMK managed to win only 23 seats, and was pushed to the second place behind then AIADMK ally DMDK, with whom the party is now trying to forge an alliance for the Lok Sabha polls.

The conference would be attended by the bigwigs of DMK including his son and party Treasurer M K Stalin, at the sprawling Thanthai Periyar Thidal.
Tiruchirappalli is considered close to the heart of Karunanidhi as he was first elected to Assembly from Kulithalai in the district.
He himself had written a series of articles in party mouthpiece Murasoli about this conference under the title, 'Tiruchi Endraale Tiruppumunai Maanaadu Dane' (Tiruchi means turning point conference).
The party's mega conference comes days after a power tussle in Karunanidhi's family between his son elder son M K Alagiri and Stalin, which subsequently led to the suspension of the former, a Madurai strongman.

Party's senior leaders like Kanimozhi, T R Baalu, A Raja, Dayanidhi Maran and other platform speakers are scheduled to speak on various issues.