Chennai: DMK chief Karunanidhi was seen as the icon of Tamil identity when India was in transition. His third son Stalin was born on March 1, 1953, the same year when MGR joined the DMK. He was named after Joseph Stalin of Russia. Stalin along with his brother Alagiri grew up in a politically charged environment when leaders, including Anna, Kamraj and MGR, were active in the Dravidian era.
Stalin got his father’s permission to start the youth wing in Gopalapuram when he was still in school. He made his first public appearance for the DMK in 1967. He then started organising rallies for students and got more people to join the party. Stalin made headlines in 1976 when he was arrested under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) on the orders of then prime minister Indira Gandhi. In 1982, he led the DMK youth wing and two years later, he was made the secretary of the youth wing. It may be noted that this was DMK’s pet project and was a huge driver for the party.
MK Stalin became an MLA in 1996 and since then has taken charge of various roles, including Mayor of Chennai and treasurer of the party. Stalin was made the Deputy Chief Minister in 2009. Karunanidhi cited health reasons for making Stalin the second in command in the government. It was evident then that the move was meant to pave the way for Stalin to be his successor. The succession question arose when Karunanidhi hinted that he may retire from active politics when his “dream projects” are complete. Alagiri in an interview to a Tamil magazine indirectly said that there is nobody with the capability to replace the DMK supremo.
The DMK chief in 2014 suspended his elder son Alagiri from the party’s primary membership, intervening in the tussle between the two sons. This move came after Alagiri attempted to fuel trouble within the party. DMK has time and again maintained that Alagiri has been indulging in anti-party activities but Karunanidhi told CNN-News18 in 2014, “Alagiri came to my house on January 24 and complained regarding Stalin and troubled me and used harsh words. Alagiri told me Stalin will die in three months. No father can tolerate such words against his son.”
Stalin has been the heir apparent to the DMK throne. In September 2015, MK Stalin began a two-month tour of all the 234 constituencies in the run-up to the 2016 assembly polls. This is the time he also launched a campaign -- Namakku Naamey (we for ourselves). While the DMK did not come to power this time, it won 89 seats, making it the strongest opposition in the history of Tamil Nadu. Stalin was made the Leader of the Opposition in May 2016.
On Thursday, in an interview to Tamil magazine Ananda Vikatan, the DMK chief said, “Stalin is someone who has worked very hard from a young age. He has dedicated his life for the party and I naturally see him as political heir. I do not yearn for Alagiri."
Political observers say that Stalin’s succession is not new and that the party has reiterated time and again that Stalin will succeed Karunanidhi. Sumanth Raman, a political observer said, “There is nothing new in Karunanidhi’s statement. The DMK chief has reiterated his statement this time. For the last many years, Karunanidhi has spoken about it. This is the de-facto thing to happen. There has never been a second opinion. Stalin has been active in the party’s functioning. I don’t see any scope for any misunderstanding within the DMK because Alagiri is not there at the moment. Stalin’s taking over is only a question of the timing.”
Gnani, another political observer said, “Karunanidhi made this clear two years ago. It is a settled issue. Stalin has taken over the party already. Party is under his control. Formally he hasn’t become the President yet.”
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