Inspired by the coronation of Akhilesh Yadav as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, the DMK has decided to anoint 35-year-old Udayanidhi Stalin.
It’s time for a Kal, Aaj Aur Kal phenomenon in DMK politics. Or one can term it the Lucknow effect. Inspired by the coronation of Akhilesh Yadav as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, the DMK has decided to anoint Udayanidhi Stalin, the 35-year-old film producer son of MK Stalin, the perpetual second-in-command to his father and party patriarch Muthuvel Karunanidhi.
On Wednesday, Chennaites woke up to see hundreds of flashy multi-coloured posters of Udayanidhi, his father Stalin and grandfather Karunanidhi looking down at them from vantage points along the Mount Road, Chennai’s own Vijay Path. No, its not Udayanidhi’s birthday or him being honoured with pre-arranged titles by some organisations for the sudden appearance of the posters hailing the ‘young leader’.
The last week of February saw the city getting flooded with multi-coloured posters of Stalin in connection with his birthday. Sixty-year old Stalin is the chief of the youth wing of the DMK.
Though he has been decorated with an honorary doctorate by one of the universities in the State ( a pre-requisite if one is to go by the precedence in DMK), Karunanidhi is not yet ready to hand over the mantle of the party to his son .
“It is interesting, though I am yet to see the posters. But there is nothing surprising in this development,” N Ravi, former editor, The Hindu and a keen DMK observer told DNA. He is of the view that it may take some more time for the ascension of Stalin to the top party post because of simmering internal rebellion in the party. “That’s why Karunanidhi is still continuing as the leader of the party,” he said.
A DMK leader who did not want his name to be quoted asked what is so surprising in the posters. “It is known to all of us that Udayanidhi will take over the reigns of the youth wing of the party in the near future. Once Stalin is appointed as the party chief, he needs someone reliable to lead the youth wing,” he said.
Stalin’s efforts to occupy the party chief’s chair dethroning his father has not yet succeeded because of the challenge posed by union minister Alagiri, his elder brother. Alagiri has made it clear that he is Karunanidhi’s heir apparent. “I'll contest for the party chief’s post as and when Karunanidhi decides to call it a day,” he had declared on many occasions.
A top intelligence official said the posters were part of a move to make Karunanidhi declare Udayanidhi as the youth wing leader and promote Stalin. “Now that Alagiri and his family are embroiled in cases, Stalin feels this is the right time to bring the party under his control. Efforts in the past to draft Udayanidhi for party work did not succeed because of indifference the party workers. This time it is a clear signal sent out by Stalin to the party cadre as well as the grand old man,” he said.
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