CHENNAI: DMK working president M K Stalin’s son actor Udhayanidhi Stalin is set to become perhaps the first person in the party to hoist party flag even without holding any position in the organisation.
DMK’s mouthpiece Murasoli on Thursday carried a news article which said that Udhayanidhi Stalin would hoist the party flag on July 15 at seven places in Kancheepuram district as part of the 95th birthday celebrations of the party’s patriarch and his grandfather M Karunanidhi. The announcement has raised eyebrows in the principal opposition party which has so far maintained the strict discipline in giving anyone the honour of hosting the party flag.
“This is unusual and I have never heard about such an incident before. Only party functionaries or senior cadres would be allowed to hoist the party flag at any celebration. Even Stalin hoisted the flag only after he was made the state organiser of the youth wing in early 1980s. Kanimozhi and M K Alagiri (Karunanidhi’s two other children) also did not hoist the party flag until they were given posting in the party. But we could not say anything now because it is obvious that the party’s high command wants to project Udhayanidhi Stalin as the future leader of the party,” a headquarters speaker told Express.
The article in Murasoli also said that besides other functionaries of the party’s Kancheepuram district (North) unit, the secretary of the district unit TM Anbarasan and deputy secretary of the youth wing Mahesh Poyyamozhi would also participate in the event on July 15. Poyyamozhi is also the president of Udhayanidhi Stalin’s fans association.
The July 15 event is not the first occasion he is being promoted by the party. He was seen in the forefront when the party staged a hunger strike on February 21 last year condemning the ‘undemocratic’ winning of the trust vote in the Assembly by Edappadi K Palaniswami.
Some are not happy
A union-level party functionary told Express said the party was already facing criticism for dynastic politics. “The party high command must decide whether they should promote Udhyanidhi”