Search the Internet          Tips

Karunanidhi has second thoughts on Stalin's succession

George Iype in Madras

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam has begun taking stock of the crushing defeat it suffered in the assembly election last week.

Insiders indicated that DMK president and former chief minister M Karunanidhi would quit his assembly seat. Failing health is cited as the reason for his inclination to resign. But whether he will hand over the mantle of party leadership to his son M K Stalin is now in doubt.

Party leaders said the DMK president had told some of his close aides that he was not inclined to become leader of the Opposition in the state assembly with a flock of just 28 MLAs.

The 77-year-old veteran is upset that his self-proclaimed last election has ended in a disastrous reversal of fortunes for the DMK.

During the campaign over the past month, Karunanidhi had repeatedly announced that this would be his last election. 'Kalaignar' [artiste] wanted to leave politics on a high note and hand over the party's reigns to his son Stalin.

Now, however, while Karunanidhi is likely to announce his resignation from the assembly when the DMK legislature party meets on Friday, it appears unlikely that he will hand over the leadership to Stalin. Party sources said he favours making general secretary K Anbazhagan leader of the DMK legislature party.

Though Karunanidhi has claimed in post-election statements that the DMK's defeat was due to "some betrayers" within the party, he is also said to be upset that Stalin could not display the requisite political charisma and leadership qualities to influence people and win elections.

If the DMK-led front had won the election, Karunanidhi had planned to hand over the chief ministership to Stalin as party leaders never oppose his decisions. Senior DMK politician and Union Commerce Minister Murasoli Maran had already opted out of active politics after being sidelined by Karunanidhi and Stalin in the party.

Many believe the DMK was trounced because the party was held to ransom by Stalin. Thamizhkudimagan, who defected to the AIADMK just before the election, told rediff.com: "There is no future for the DMK now because there is no charismatic and energetic leader to lead the party. The DMK has lost its ideals because of its association with the Bharatiya Janata Party. It has lost its energy because Karunanidhi is very old. Stalin, unfortunately, is not a leader of Karunanidhi's stature."

Thamizhkudimagan said the DMK's tragedy was that "Kalaignar tried to project Stalin as the chief ministerial candidate sidelining leaders like me". Now he has paid the price of promoting his son at the cost of the party, he remarked.

In many assembly segments, dissident DMK leaders such as Thamizhkudimagan and former minister V Mullaivendan are said to have played havoc. "Remember, all of us left the DMK because of Stalin," Thamizhkudimagan added.

After the unexpected defeat, Karunanidhi too is said to be having second thoughts about Stalin. "It is certain that he does not want his son to be leader of the Opposition at this juncture because he is not convinced about Stalin's political abilities," a DMK official said.

"It is because of Stalin that the party suffered such a humiliating defeat. There was no reason why the DMK should get only 28 seats when there was no anti-establishment wave in Tamil Nadu," he added.

Now that a sympathy wave has made AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalitha victorious, catapulting her to the post of chief minister despite the slew of legal cases haunting her, the DMK expects the heat of political vendetta from her sooner than later.

Humbled, many DMK leaders privately say they want Stalin to resign as mayor of Madras. They say his high-handed attitude as the mayor has always brought embarrassment to the DMK.

With father and son trapped in a political depression, who can now lead the DMK with charisma and vision is something party cadres are debating.

Read more

Back to top

Tell us what you think of this report