Second-rung DMK leaders to be elevated

MK Stalin, soon-to-be president of DMK, has planned to ‘reward’ at least a few aspiring second-rung leaders who swore loyalty to him in the August 14 executive council meeting, sources said.

The party’s General Council will meet here on August 28 to elevate Stalin as president and most probably elect Duraimurugan to the treasurer’s post. 

Stalin is understood to have planned to give a influential position for the next most senior party leader TR Baalu. The former union surface transport minister is likely to step in to the shoes of Duraimurugan, who occupies the post of principal headquarters secretary, sources told DTNext. 

The post of principal headquarters secretary was created for Duraimurugan who had once turned down lucrative offers of MGR and remained loyal to Karunanidhi.

Stalin was learnt to have vetoed proposals to do away with principal headquarters secretary post in order to accommodate Baalu.

The likes of EV Velu, who was  reportedly the frontrunner for the treasurer post till recently, KN Nehru and Ponmudi may also be elevated in the party ranks next week. 

Party sources close to Stalin admitted that elevating the second-rung leaders would not only increase stability in the party but also demoralise expelled leader and Karunanidhi’s elder son MK Alagiri, who is mobilising cadre for the September 5 rally towards the Karunanidhi burial site on the Marina Beach in Chennai. 

Sources said this development assumes significance as Alagiri had recently told reporters that all the loyalists of Karunanidhi were with him. 

Notably, the public relations overdrive by DMK Rajya Sabha MP and Karunanidhi’s daugther Kanimozhi’s supporters has delivered some results with a few suggesting her elevation to the office of deputy general secretary. 

Sources said by elevating the second-rung of leaders, Stalin aims to silence critics questioning inner-party democracy in DMK and also keep ‘few people’ outside the party circle. 

 A meeting organised by the Tiruchy district unit of DMK mourned the demise of party president M Karunanidhi and passed a resolution here on Wednesday to elect the working president MK Stalin as the president of the party.

The meeting presided by district presidium Dharmalingam and Ambikapathy was organised at the Kalaignar Arivalayam. 

The meeting also passed various other resolutions including one in which they stated that Kalaignar M Karunanidhi was an ‘incomparable leader’ in Indian politics, having served over 80 years in the same party and ruled the State as the Chief Minister for five terms. Working president MK Stalin is the apt person to lead the party, another resolution read. 

“DMK Patriarch Kalaignar M Karunanidhi has always pointed out that MK Stalin will take up the mantle of leadership. This is what we wish for and Stalin must become the president of the party,” the resolution read.

Stalin is expected to be elevated as the party president during the General Council meeting on August 28.

“No one can deny Stalin becoming the president of the party as we will work tirelessly to make him to attain the higher position,” district secretary and former minister KN Nehru said.

Nehru also recalled  Karunanidhi’s connection with Tiruchy. “His political career started from here. He used to often come to Tiruchy and was even interested in organising meetings in the city,” Nehru added.