While the newly-elected office-bearers of the various wings of the DMK expected an announcement heralding a new role for party treasurer M.K. Stalin at the executive meeting on Thursday, party president M. Karunanidhi only referred to his son Stalin as “our future”.
In fact, Mr. Karunanidhi began his speech by calling Mr Stalin the future of the party and paused for a few seconds to allow applause to fill the auditorium. At the end of his speech, the DMK patriarch, as can be expected of him, did not make any announcement.
Instead, he quipped: “Though I want to convey a message that will be food for your hunger, I need to wind up as our ‘Perasiriyar’ [party general secretary K. Anbazhagan] is feeling hungry.”
A few days ago, the DMK president, for the umpteenth time, hinted that Mr. Stalin would be his successor and he was not interested in becoming the Chief Minister of the State for the sixth time.
However, Mr Stalin, in his speech earlier, called upon partymen to work towards to achieve the goal of making ‘Kalaignar’ (Karunanidhi) the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu after the 2016 Assembly polls.
“Let us bury our differences and work united for making our leader as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu,” said Mr. Stalin.
Mr. Stalin said the youth wing will organise 10,000 meeting across the State to highlight the anti-people polices of the AIADMK government and the pro-people initiatives of the DMK. The meeting of the organisers and deputy organisers of the youth wing in Coimbatore will further discuss the issue
He urged party district secretaries to send the list of office-bearers of various wings of the party as early as possible to the headquarters.
Stalin's steady rise over four decades
M.K.Stalin’s political career began as a 14-year-old school student. He campaigned for DMK in the 1967 elections.
He was 23 years old when he was arrested under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) on 31st January, 1976
Was appointed secretary of the youth wing
Elected as an MLA for the first time in 1989 from Thousand Lights constituency in Chennai. Won again in 1996, 2001 and 2006
M.K.Stalin was the first directly-elected Mayor
He was re-elected as Mayor in 2001
Elected as Deputy General Secretary
Minister for Municipal Administration and Rural Development
Elected as party treasurer
Appointed as Deputy Chief Minister