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Action against Azhagiri clears decks for Stalin

N Sathiya Moorthy in Madras

With the ruling DMK initiating disciplinary action against Chief Minister M Karunanidhi's Madurai-based elder son M K Azhagiri, the decks have been cleared for the anointment of second son and Madras Mayor M K Stalin, who continues to be youth wing secretary.

Simultaneously, it has sent out signals to party men that the leadership would not tolerate indiscipline in an election year.

DMK general secretary K Anbazhagan issued a circular directing party men not to have any contact with Azhagiri, who he charged with working against the party's interests.

On the eve of issuing the circular, Anbazhagan, who is not known to go overboard, declared from a public platform, the DMK's willingness to accept Stalin as a successor to Karunanidhi, when the situation arose.

"With this, Anbazhagan hinted at his not being in the run for succession," a senior DMK leader explained. "But, he has sent out a clear signal to the party second line that Stalin is more acceptable, including the older generation.''

There has been speculation on a successor to Karunanidhi for over a decade. While even the dismissal of party leader Vaiko, now heading the breakaway MDMK, was seen as a step in this direction, even rumours of differences between Stalin and Union Industry Minister Murasoli Maran, a nephew of Karunanidhi, are believed to have been a step in this direction.

"By projecting Maran as a candidate for succession, the leadership obviously sought to focus all dissent against Stalin within the family," said the party leader.

"We will not be surprised if at the right time Maran stepped aside in favour of Stalin, catching other dissidents off-guard."

In this context, he referred to the 'silent burial' of rumours in the past year, after Maran became Union minister for industry and commerce, and Stalin too proved his worth as mayor.

"There is no denying a major role for Maran at the national level, given his experience and exposure, and also the complexity of coalition politics," said the source. "However, the party is being prepared to accept Stalin as successor, much as the leadership keeps denying such plans."

"There is again no denying Stalin's contribution to keeping the party alive during the 'dark days' of the seventies, when the DMK was out of power for 12 years. The Stalin-focussed politics in the party has also helped take the local level leadership at all levels to the younger generation twice at least in the last two decades, keeping the DMK more relevant and immediate to the people."

If on the one hand the sidelining of Azhagiri heralds the 'arrival' of Stalin months ahead of the assembly elections, it also signifies another aspect in the DMK. "It is a severe and an open warning for all dissidents before the assembly polls," said the DMK leader.

He referred to charges of infighting that marred the Lok Sabha polls last year. "The fact-finding committee mentioned infighting in the ruling party as a major cause for the DMK-National Democratic Alliance's reduced victory margins in some seats, and for losing some others," he recalled, stating, "Given the complexity of alliance formation for the assembly polls, and also the perceptible anti-incumbency factor that may affect the combine's chances, the leadership doesn't want to take chances. Not when AIADMK supremo J Jayalalitha's future hopes lies on the assembly polls, and she is also out to 'humiliate' the DMK leadership, for alleged sufferings she has undergone since her poll defeat of 1996."

EARLIER REPORTS
Violence breaks out in TN as Karunanidhi sidelines son
DMK workers continue rampage in TN

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