DMK heir-apparent MK Stalin has denied that he is eyeing the post of party general secretary.
DMK treasurer and heir-apparent MK Stalin today denied reports that he is in the race for the position of party general secretary, a post currently held by veteran leader, 92-year-old K Anbazhagan.
Earlier, there was buzz in DMK circles that Stalin would not file his nomination for the position of treasurer, which he holds now, as a mark of protest. Stalin dismissed these as 'rumours' and accused the the media of spreading such speculation.
The DMK's organisational polls are underway and these reports came ahead of the the filing of nominations, scheduled on January 7 for the top three positions in the party - president, general secretary and treasurer.
There was drama at the residence of MK Stalin this morning, as scores of his supporters including many district secretaries dropped in.
In May last year too, there was a similar resignation drama by MK Stalin following the DMK's rout in Lok Sabha polls. He was the face of the party's poll campaign then. Although he owned up responsibility, he withdrew his resignation following pressure from his supporters.
His estranged elder brother, MK Alagiri, who has been expelled from the DMK for anti-party activities, today indicated he might consider re-joining DMK. "I shall think about returning to the DMK if the party mends its ways," said Alagiri. The Madurai strongman, who had called Stalin's resignation a drama last year, however chose to not respond this time.
Some call today's developments a trial balloon by MK Stalin, while others call it mischief by his loyalists. Senior journalist Radhakrishnan says, "Stalin now feels its time for him to have absolute power over the party as his aged father is not the same active president any longer, and this drama is to gauge the mood in the party."
A senior DMK functionary says, "Stalin is already in control of the party. He doesn't have to become general secretary to assert himself. However, a sycophantic group close to him indulges in spreading rumours to mount pressure on our leader (M Karunanidhi) to give in. They don't believe in democratic system."
Though DMK chief M Karunanidhi, now 91 years old, groomed his younger son, MK Stalin, to be his successor, sources close to him say he's not yet ready to handover the baton to him. His elder son, MK Alagiri, too nurtured ambitions to head the party, and though he is out of the party now, the sibling rivalry has been a huge embarrassment to the grand old man of Indian politics.