DMK party meet may seal succession
FAMILY BONDS Stalin likely to be named party president, elevation for Kanimozhi too
Three days after the death of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president M Karunanidhi, the party general secretary K Anbazhagan on Friday announced the convening of an emergency executive committee meeting - to be held on August 14th at ‘Anna Arivayalam’- the party headquarters in Chennai.
Since the announcement came after party working president MK Stalin’s meeting with Anbazhagan on Friday, speculation is rife that the executive committee would give nod for the elevation of Stalin as president.
“Even as the executive committee does not have the power to elect the president, it can give nod for making Stalin as president. After that, it will be endorsed in the general council meeting, in which the formal announcement will be made about selecting Stalin as president,” said a senior office bearer of DMK. Over the last couple of years due to illhealth of Karunanidhi, Stalin effectively has been playing the role of party president, the DMK member added. Pointing out that during the birthday celebrations of Stalin in 2015, Karunanidhi had publicly anointed Stalin as his heir, the senior party member said, the meeting will only formalise that declaration.
In an interview to a Tamil weekly in October 2016, Karunanidhi had spoken about Stalin as his successor.
“Stalin at his very young age, he formed the youth wing and worked hard. During the time of he was jailed under MISA (Maintenance of Internal Security Act) for protesting the emergency in 1975, he underwent torture. He toiled and attained the position of the future leader of the DMK step by step. Given this, he is today my political successor, “Karunanidhi had said in the interview.
Speaking about the recent developments, however, TKS Elangovan, spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP of DMK said “The main reason for the executive committee meeting is only to pass condolence resolutions. Until the general body election is convened, the post will be kept vacant.”
After nearly five decades, the party president post of DMK is vacant with the passing away of Karunanidhi. He was the first and last president (1969-2018) of the party. Even Annadurai, the mentor of Karunanidhi, who was DMK’s first chief minister always was designated as one of the founders of the party and not its president.
According to the bylaws of DMK, the president should be elected within 60 days from the day when the post falls vacant. So, the important decisions on governing the party will be taken at the executive committee meeting and will be announced in the general body meeting.
While it is certain that Stalin will be elevated as the president, his half-sister MK Kanimozhi, Rajya Sabha MP is also slated for elevation. According to sources in the DMK who spoke to HT said that she would either be elected as deputy general secretary or Treasurer of DMK.
“As per the DMK bylaws one OBC, two women and one Dalit should be appointed as deputy general secretaries. Subbulakshmi Jagadeesan and Sarguna Pandian were appointed as deputy general secretary 2014. After the demise of Sarguna Pandian in August 2016, one reserved post for a woman for general secretary is still vacant. There are is possibility to appoint Kanimozhi as deputy general secretary,” a senior DMK MLA told HT.
“If Stalin is elevated as president then his current post as treasurer in the party will also fall vacant. As treasurer post is powerful than deputy general secretary, Kanimozhi would have that as her first preference,” he said.
However, the MLA said that no decision about the induction of former union minister and Karunanidhi’s elder son MK Azhagiri, who was expelled from the party in 2014, had been taken yet.
Though Azhagiri was seen with his brother Stalin while doing final rites for his father, neither of them communicated with each other.
When Azhagiri was in the party, he held the post of southern zone secretary of DMK and controlled the party in the southern Tamil Nadu. Workers of South Tamil Nadu shifted their loyalty to Stalin soon after he was expelled from the party. Sources say admitting Azhagiri back into the party will show Stalin as less strong in the south and thus he is not particularly keen about it.
But discussions are on within the family to induct Azhagiri into the party as other family members are keen on a rapprochement Raveendran Duraisamy noted political analyst observed that the Stalin’s succession is likely to boost the morale of DMK cadres ahead of the crucial 2019 general elections.
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