CHENNAI: M K Stalin, the newly appointed Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, has started sending the right signals, putting on hold a 10-day holiday trip to London after getting additional “responsibility”. However, he still appears reluctant to accept the widespread perception that he is the one chosen by his father, Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, from the family to take charge in the State.
In a freewheeling chat with The New Indian Express, Stalin says, “I wouldn’t want to comment on whether I’ll be the chief ministerial candidate in the next election. If such a situation arises, we’ll face it then.”
As Deputy Chief Minister, Stalin says his focus would be on creating job opportunities for youth. “The Deputy Chief Minister’s post is not something that one can sit and enjoy. It’s a responsibility where one has to slog it out. This post brings no joy or sorrow to me. I have to look after additional portfolios,” he adds.
The 56-year-old’s unwillingness to commit to the emerging power structure in the DMK comes in the face of the 85-year-old Chief Minister’s perceived succession plan — elder son M K Azhagiri would be the party’s man in Delhi and Stalin would drive the State.
Comparisons are inevitable between the reticent Stalin and his boisterous elder brother. “While Azhagiri takes decisions fast, I weigh the pros and cons before I make up my mind. Some portray it as a weakness. But I have been able to convert this so-called weakness into a strength,” says the Thalapathy, who spent a better part of the day receiving visitors.
Azhagiri has proved to be a great organiser, delivering victories one after another, right from the Tirumangalam by-election to the Lok Sabha polls when he got all 10 parliamentary seats from south Tamil Nadu for the DMK.
“He’s a pillar of strength for the DMK in south Tamil Nadu. Cadre in Madurai wanted to make him their MP, so he fought the election and now is a Cabinet minister,” says Stalin.
Responding to allegations that the DMK rigged the Lok Sabha elections in the State, Stalin says, “It’s not easy for a ruling party to win an election. There’ll be a lot of grievances, but this time people welcomed us more than they did three years ago.”
Stalin’s positive vibes for Azhagiri have not gone unnoticed in the DMK. A M H Nazeem, the leader of the opposition in the Puducherry Assembly, says. “The brothers are the two eyes of the party and their vision is the same — the party’s growth.”
A DMK leader says, “Stalin has now got the chance to take policy decisions independently.” This new-found independence for Stalin spells work at the moment. His London trip has to wait “till the Assembly session is over”.
