Kanimozhi’s rise in DMK near certain

CHENNAI: DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi’s rise in the party is near certain. If sources in the DMK are to be believed, Chief Minister MK Stalin, who is also the president of the DMK, is understood to have ticked her elevation as deputy general secretary of the party. Election of a woman deputy general secretary in the DMK was necessitated by the exit of Subbulakshmi Jagadeeshan, who quit the party and politics last month.

A highly-placed DMK source disclosed on condition of anonymity that the leadership has consented to elevate her and the same has been communicated to Kanimozhi, who called on Stalin on Thursday on her appointment as the chairman of the Parliamentary standing committee on Rural Development and Panchayat Raj.

However, no progress has been achieved vis-a-vis increasing the number of deputy general secretaries in the party by two from existing five. Names of former union minister Jagathretchakan and incumbent minister M P Saminathan are doing the rounds for the two posts under consideration. DMK sources said that there has been no progress in increasing the number of deputy general secretaries and the issue was still at nascent stage.

Apropos of Kanimozhi’s rise in the party, the Parliamentary standing committee on Panchayat Raj was only the second position of pride in the Parliament. The Thoothukudi MP who heads the party’s women’s wing also heads the Parliamentary standing committee on Chemical and Fertilizers. Her Parliamentary colleague, Tiruchy Siva has also risen to prominence by securing the chairmanship of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Industry.