Near-miss at Nellai

Stalin’s claim to fame was his arrest in the crackdown following Emergency, when he also had his political baptism. His climb within the party has been slow and steady, first as the youth wing leader, a post which he held for several years, and then as the deputy general secretary of the party, a post given to him a few years back. But Stalin continued to hold the post of chief of the youth wing of the party, wielding a strong influence on the rank and file, on postings and now as the powerful Local Administration Minister, manipulating postings within the administration and the cabinet.

Whether it was a threat from within the party or from his own family members, Karunanidhi has not hesitated to clear the hurdles from his son’s path. In 1993, when there were murmurs about Vaiko’s growing popularity within the DMK, Karunanidhi publicly announced that his close confidante planned to assassinate him with the help of the LTTE. Vaiko had no option but to quit the DMK and start his own party, the MDMK.

In the year 2000, when his elder son, M.K. Azhagiri, given the charge of managing party affairs down south, expressed political ambitions, Karunanidhi directed the party general secretary, K. Anbazhagan, to issue a diktat to cadres not to associate themselves with him. The statement also noted that Azhagiri was not even a member of the party. Interestingly, the only ambitious member of the Karunanidhi household has not held a single party post so far.

The animosity between the two brothers reached a peak, ending in the death of a senior DMK minister and Stalin loyalist. Subsequently, however, Azhagiri, facing charges of murder, gave in to his brother and Stalin’s dominance was proved yet again.

In May last year, Karunanidhi faced yet another challenge, this time from his own relatives, Kalanidhi and Dayanidhi Maran, the sons of his nephew, the late Murasoli Maran. The opinion poll as to who would succeed Karuanidhi, published in Dinakaran (a Tamil daily owned by the Marans), apparently against his wishes, saw an ugly family row breaking out on the streets of Madurai, considered to be Azhagiri’s fiefdom. Three people were killed in the arson let loose by Azhagiri supporters on the eve of a major celebration to commemorate Karunanidhi’s 50th year as legislator.

The reprisal was quick. The DMK sent a letter to Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, seeking to get Dayanidhi Maran dropped from the cabinet. Though not stripped of his primary membership within the DMK, Maran has been virtually ostracised from the party. The new Kalaignar TV, a Tamil channel, started with the blessings of Karunanidhi, is yet another challenge thrown at the Marans, who own the powerful Sunnetwork Group.

It was at this juncture that the Nellai conference was announced, triggering much anticipation that Karunanidhi would finally announce his successor. But the veteran politician played it safe, merely remarking in his end-of-the-conference speech: “What you expect will happen. When it will happen, will be announced soon.” With this cryptic remark, the DMK leader brought the curtains down on the conference, which was expected to be a watershed in DMK’s history. While the political innuendo could not be missed, Karunanidhi would rather leave it to the highest body of the DMK to formally crown his son, which is now only a formality.

jaya_menon@yahoo.com