Tamil Nadu: Two general council meetings and the future of dravidian politics

CHENNAI: After four decades of dominance in Tamil Nadu politics, the AIADMK and the DMK are heading towards a crucial point that could determine the way forward for both parties. While the AIADMK general council will meet on Thursday, the DMK general council will convene on January 4.

Representatives of both parties are expecting a change in leadership to be announced, while analysts believe the decisions will have a bearing on not just the future of both the Dravidian parties in particular, but also the politics of the state in general.

Sources in the AIADMK say that most of the state ministers and party district secretaries concur with the view that VK Sasikala-- late chief minister J Jayalalithaa’s close aide— must be appointed as the new general secretary of the party.

DMK sources indicate that their party’s heir apparent M K Stalin is likely to be named the ‘working president’ of the DMK by party president M Karunanidhi.

However, the leadership change – if effected – by both the DMK and the AIADMK, could be met with some discontentment if not open dissent within the respective parties.

An ex-MLA and AIADMK district secretary who did not wish to be named told ET, “it is true that there may not be acceptance among all cadres of the party when Chinnamma (V K Sasikala) is named as the leader of the party. But she is the only option for us now to keep the party going. We will have to go to our people and canvass aggressively to bring about an acceptance among the cadres.”

As far as the DMK is concerned there are veterans within the party who see Stalin as “no match” for his father and party president M Karunanidhi.

A DMK senior representative who requested anonymity told ET “Stalin does not have what it takes to embrace allies and take them along while leading DMK to the path of victory.”