DMK treasurer MK Stalin declared late on Sunday that he would be the next Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. “My father (M Karunanidhi) held the post of DMK treasurer before he became the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. I too will do the same thing and live up to the tag ‘like father, like son’,” Stalin declared while addressing a public rally held at Madurai to celebrate the 90th birthday of the DMK chief.
What is interesting is that Stalin chose Madurai to make the declaration. The temple town is considered as the exclusive domain of his elder brother MK Alagiri. Stalin’s announcement is seen as an open challenge to Alagiri who is also in the race for the control of the party.
When Karunanidhi declared some time back that Stalin would be his successor, the elder son Alagiri snubbed his father by telling that the DMK was not a Sankara Mutt where the senior seer handpicks his successor. Since then Karunanidhi has been maintaining silence over the coronation of Stalin.
In an apparent reference to his elder brother’s resentment against him over the issue of succession, Stalin said he was not bothered about any kind of opposition from anybody. “Some DMK leaders in Madurai may not be happy over the prospects of me succeeding my father as the party chief. They may not like what I am telling. But I will repeat this again and again,” said Stalin.
Alagiri kept away from the meeting though he was in town. Party circles describe Alagiri’s move to keep away from the party function as an open snub to Stalin, who is the de facto number two in the party. Sixty two-year-old Stalin is the DMK youth wing president in addition to being the treasurer.
Though there is a general secretary in the party by name K Anbazhagan, he is not active nowadays. Anbazhagan (92) could be the oldest member as well as functionary of the party.
Stalin asked the party cadre not to consider his declaration as mere rhetoric. “I swear on party’s founder Annadurai that these are the words from the bottom of my heart,” declared Stalin. He also said that his step-sister Kanimozhi won the Rajya Sabna election from Tamil Nadu not because of the support extended by the Congress or some other outfits. “All these parties voted for Kanimozhi because of the charisma of Karunanidhi,” said Stalin.
The younger son of Karunanidhi has sidelined his elder brother from all important functions of the party. Karunanidhi has called for a State-wide agitation next Monday demanding the demolition of Ram Sethu, held in high reverence by the Hindus. According to Karunanidhi, if the Ram Sethu is not demolished, Tamil Nadu would soon become a desert.
Stalin will see that Alagiri and his henchmen are kept out of the July 8 agitation by the DMK demanding the destruction of Ram Sethu for constructing the controversial Sethu Samudram Channel.
While even second-wrung leaders of the party had been assigned to various districts to ensure the success of the agitation, Alagiri’s name is conspicuous by its absence.
Stalin also rubbished news that DMK nominee Kanimozhi won the Rajya Sabha election because of the support extended by the Congress.“There is no alliance between the DMK and the Congress. Alliance will be formed only during the Parliamentary polls,” he said.