Udhayanidhi Stalin sparks clash of generations in DMK?
CHENNAI: DMK youth wing secretary Udhayanidhi Stalin’s appeal on Sunday to senior party leaders to give way for youngsters and guide them has sparked mixed reactions within the party.
It’s the first time that the youth welfare minister has openly asserted that the seniors should step aside for youngsters to come to the fore, indicating his intention to infuse young blood into the party’s leadership role to create more appeal for the party among young voters.
Speaking at an elocution contest organised by engineers’ wing of the party on Sunday, Udhayanidhi referred to Rajinikanth’s remarks made a day earlier at a book release function where the veteran actor complimented Chief Minister and DMK president MK Stalin for his meticulous handling of ‘old students (senior leaders)’ who were often the biggest trouble for ‘teachers’.
A senior youth wing functionary told TNIE that Udhayanidhi’s comment was not surprising to those within the wing since he has consistently expressed his intention to elevate more young members to party positions.
Highlighting that this was, however, the first time the party scion has openly appealed to the seniors to pave the way, the functionary said it remains to be seen how the appeal will be taken or what its outcome will be.
Another youth wing functionary said that recently, one of the wing’s functionaries, during an informal meeting with Udhayanidhi, had recalled that during CN Annadurai’s leadership, the average age of DMK MLAs was around 35 but now it has crossed well past 50. To him, Udhayanidhi’s quick response was that he was also thinking of bringing down the average age since the number of voters below 40 years is increasing with every election. “Hence, we think, his comments are a precursor for the next transformation in the party”.
While welcoming Udhayanidhi’s remarks, a few young district-level functionaries wondered about the kind of youngsters Udhayanidhi wanted to bring to leadership roles. “The youth who are elevated should not be the children of the old war horses. I hope the first-generation youngsters who have entered the party and are hard-working must be given priority,” another functionary said.
Meanwhile, a few of the senior leaders seemed miffed with Udhayanidhi’s remarks. They were also disappointed that the CM spoke at the book release function in such a way that he seemed to endorse Rajinikanth’s remarks.
“None of the seniors, right from former general secretary ‘Perasiriyar’ K Anbazhagan, who was once the senior-most leader next to Kalaignar (late CM M Karunanidhi) had opposed Stalin’s ascent. We welcomed him well in advance even when Kalaignar was active,” a senior leader said.