MK Stalin's campaign has 'created a welcome uprising' : Karunanidhi

By Prem Shanker

CHENNAI: The DMK president M Karunanidhi has indicated today that he endorses the impact of his son M K Stalin’s state-wide ‘namakku naamey’ campaign across the state.

When asked by reporters at the DMK headquarters in Chennai on what he thought about Stalin’s campaign, Karunanidhi said that Stalin’s campaign had ‘created a welcome uprising’.

Although the DMK chief did not elaborate on the point, he made it clear that Stalin had the complete support from the party leadership for continuing with his tour. Stalin has projected himself in a completely different form and campaign style all along these tours that began exactly a month ago.

Ahead of the 2016 elections, the DMK is on one hand playing its cards on the ground with Stalin and on the other is looking to stitch together a strong alliance against the ruling AIADMK.

However, erstwhile allies are yet to show enthusiasm in formalising an alliance led by the DMK. The results of the 2014 lok Sabha elections in which the AIADMK stood alone and romped to a landslide victory has given the ruling AIADMK a confidence of continuing with its winning streak. However, experts do agree that the AIADMK will be wary of taking on a grand opposition alliance all by itself riding mainly on the popularity of its welfare schemes.

DMK had in the past accused the AIADMK of scuttling electoral alliances among Opposition parties for the assembly elections scheduled next year and attempting to divide political opponents.

"They (AIADMK) are careful in ensuring that there is no unity among Opposition parties and they purchase some key functionaries from each party," the DMK had said in a statement early last month.