Chennai: Showering praise on his younger son and party’s youth wing leader M K Stalin, DMK president M Karunanidhi on Sunday said he has risen from a zone secretary to Deputy Chief Minister-level due to hard work and asked the cadre to support and help him in all his future endeavours.
“You should support him and help him in all his future endeavours,” the DMK patriarch said, two days after he backed Stalin over selection of office-bearers for organisational posts, virtually dismissing his elder son and Union Minister M K Alagiri’s protests.
Alagiri had expressed displeasure over ‘neglect’ of his recommendations for party posts in the youth wing headed by his brother.
Coming out with his views on Alagiri’s outbursts, seen as an indication of simmering sibling rivalry, Karunanidhi had said Stalin had only tried to ensure family members of senior leaders were kept away from occupying key responsibilities.
Stalin was Deputy Chief Minister in the previous DMK Ministry. Reports of sibling rivalry between Alagiri and Stalin had always been doing the rounds, with the former — considered DMK’s strongman in south Tamil Nadu — opposing any change in the party leadership.
Addressing the party’s youth wing conference at Maraimalai Nagar tonight, Karunanidhi also said the DMK’s state-level conference, to be held next year or the year after, would be organised in Tiruchirapalli.
Apparently launching a veiled attack on PMK, a Vanniya- based regional party, which is reportedly aspiring for power without forming alliance with any Dravidian parties, Karunanidhi said those who are critical of Dravidian parties would eventually come to them seeking sharing of seats in the elections.
“Some friends, some great learned men have said the term ‘Dravida’ is a bad word and have resolved to erase ‘Dravida’ and the Dravidian movement. I feel sorry for them…There will be a day when you will come to us asking how many seats can you give?” he said. PMK leader S Ramadoss has reportedly in his speeches expressed a view of coming to power without any tie-up with Dravidian parties.
‘Dravida’ is not a term coined by contemporary leaders, he said, adding but one used and reminded by leaders like Periyar and Annadurai.
Karunanidhi asked whether those against the term had the courage to remove it from the country’s national anthem and ‘Thamizh Thai Vazhthu’ (song of the Tamils). (PTI)