Low-key birthday for Madurai strongman

MADURAI: The 61st birthday of Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilisers M K Alagiri’s turned out to be a low-key affair on Monday. The usual fanfare and huge hoardings that used to be seen in every corner of the city were missing. Unlike in the past, the venue of the celebrations was also shifted out of the city this year. Alagiri’s birthday celebrations, which normally used to be a weeklong celebration with cultural or sport events, turned out to be an exclusive event for loyalists that too inside the Maharajan Ambalam Marriage Hall on Ramanathapuram Road.After cutting a cake with his family at his house in TVS Nagar, Alagiri visited the hall to meet cadre who turned up to greet him. His close aide — ex-deputy Mayor P M Mannan, S R Gopi, ex-MLAs Murthy and Talapathi, Attack Pandi, Ochu Balu, V K Guruswamy, M L Raj, and Mubarak Mandiri, were present during the celebration. But, ‘Pottu’ Suresh , a key loyalist of Anjanenjan, was not to be seen.‘Attack’ Pandi presented Alagiri with a Sengol (Sceptre), while ward councillor Arun Kumar came with 50 women carrying Paal kudum (pots filled with milk) and men carrying a Pallakku with a figure of Alagiri in a sitting posture in it. A magazine titled Anjanenjan Dravidian and a book titled Appavuku Thappathu Pirandha Pillai (a book tracing various stages in Alagiri’s life with pictures from his childhood) were distributed to all who came to the venue.Alagiri also distributed various welfare assistance to party functionaries.