It was a show of succession in the DMK on Tuesday. The sprawling Anna Arivalayam in Chennai turned to a sea of red and black, as hundreds of enthusiastic cadres thronged the party headquarters. Banners and posters announcing the arrival of party’s next leader filled the pathways. Cheers of “Thalaivar Thalapathy”, meaning leader commander, rent the air, as the party seniors and the general council members walked in.
Sweet boxes went around and the party cadres rejoiced as M.K. Stalin was elevated unopposed as the DMK president. He is only the second president of the 69-year-old party, after his father, M. Karunanidhi, held the post for over 50 years. Karunanidhi became the DMK president for the first time in 1967 after the demise of party founder C.N. Annadurai.
Stalin had a clear message for the party cadres and for those who have been criticising him for years as the 'prince in waiting'—the DMK under him will present a different model of governance and that there will be an improvement in the party that was once presided by his father.
“With a new hope for the future of the DMK, here I am reborn for you,” he told the cadres. And for those who always criticised him comparing him with Karunanidhi, he clarified, “I cannot talk like Thalaivar Kalaignar. I don’t have the command over Tamil language like he does. But I stand before you with the guts to try anything and implement it.” This one-liner from Stalin in the very beginning of his maiden speech as the party president made it very clear that he is no Karunanidhi, but a different leader who has taken over not just the DMK presidency but also the Dravidian legacy.
“His was a very significant speech. He made it apparent that he will hold up the Dravidian legacy when he mentioned the significance of the four pillars of the Dravidian ideology—rationalism, social justice, self-esteem and equality. And when he said he was born new, I feel he meant that the DMK will take a new direction under him. I liked the solidarity and camaraderie in his speech. This was one of the best messages from a leader,” said VCK general secretary D. Ravikumar.
Stalin also used his first speech to set out a strong vision for the party, when he called the cadres to unite to achieve his dream for the party. “Some questions like 'who are we', 'what is our future', 'what are we here to do'—these questions did not let me sleep for a few days. I would like to share with you that I had a dream. A dream that I dreamt with my eyes open. In my dream, I saw a society that respects everybody, that has social equality, that respects men and women, that has transgender rights. It is a society devoid of any difference. Come with me, walk along with me shoulder to shoulder to achieve this dream,” Stalin made a clarion call to the cadres. He went on to say that the party would not compromise with those who valued caste above all, but will stand by those who valued each other as human beings.
“This is a strong message. He means that everyone is equal and he holds up the Dravidian legacy,” syas Ravikumar.
Potshots at BJP
Stalin did not miss the occasion to tell the cadres that ideologically the DMK and the BJP are polls apart. “Education, arts, literature and culture are being used by the central government to propagate religious hatred. Let's come together to pull down the saffron coloured team at the Centre.”
Stalin’s statement has put a full stop to all the debates and discussions on the DMK going soft on BJP and eyeing for a post-poll alliance. “He has dispelled the image that the DMK is going soft on BJP. He has made it categorically clear that DMK is not for BJP. He has made it amply clear that he will not entertain an alliance with BJP. By branding it communal, he has not only ruled out a pre-poll alliance but also made it clear that there will not be any post poll alliance with the BJP,” says Peter Alphonse, a senior Congress leader.
On the very first day after taking charge as the party president, Stalin has chosen to eschew the image of ‘son of a leader’ and made it clear that both the family and the party stands behind him. “It is very rare in the pages of democratic history that a fully prepared, trained and certified leader takes over a party like M.K. Stalin did. In most of the parties the incumbent leaders don’t have any idea who would succeed. But Stalin was groomed from the very beginning. He suffered the failures, he enjoyed the victories,” says Peter Alphonse.
For the first time in the political history of Tamil Nadu, a leader has been unanimously accepted across the spectrum of his party. From DMK general secretary K. Anbazhagan, a contemporary of Karunanidhi, to the last worker of the party stood by Stalin without any dissent.
Stalin did not climb to the top post by just being the son of a legendary leader. When Karunanidhi had two other sons elder to Stalin—M.K. Muthu and M.K. Alagiri—his succession did not come by luck but by choice when there were strong chances for others in the family. Though Stalin has made it clear that he is no Karunanidhi, he will always be compared with his father who was a colossus.