Following the arrest of his son, M.K. Azhagiri, for allegedly ‘conspiring’ to murder former DMK MP, T.Kiruttinan, the party president M. Karunanidhi was asked by areporter, "Isn’t the whole problem of factionalism and this unnecessary death a result of the promotion of your two sons Stalin and Azhagiri in the party?"
Karunanidhi responded intemperately: "Let’s then hang them both. The problem will be solved." He also talked about how such killings had a history in the DMK dating back to Annadurai’s time, unwittingly admitting that the murder owed to problems within the party.
The DMK under Karunanidhi, has never been shy of son-preference. Only, it has been different sons at different times. When MGR and Karunanidhi were part of the undivided DMK, the latter used to promote M.K Muthu, the son born of his first wife Padmavati. Muthu, who would dress up like MGR at party meetings, was promoted by Karunanidhi into filmdom in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Papa even scripted some Muthu films like Pillai O’ Pillai (Son O’ Son!). But Muthu failed as an actor, fell out with his father, turned alcoholic, and even crossed over to the AIADMK since he idolised MGR.
After Padmavati’s death, Karunanidhi married Dayaluammal who bore him Stalin and Azhagiri (other than a daughter, Selvi, who married Murasoli Maran’s brother Selvam). Later, Rajathiammal entered Karunanidhi’s life as a ‘partner’, whom the DMK chief preferred to referto as ‘my daughter Kanimozhi’s mother’. Ideally, Karunanidhi would have perhaps liked Kanimozhi to enter politics, but she has preferred to be known as a literary figure. Another son, Tamizharasu, also born of Dayaluammal, never turned proactive in politics.
Stalin, the apple of Karunanidhi’s eye, has been active in party affairs since his arrest under MISA during Emergency. He formed the DMK’s youth wing in 1980 and continues to remain its president despite his 50 years and recent grandpa status. In 1996 when Stalin was elected Chennai mayor, it became almost official that the leadership – meaning Karunanidhi – was grooming him to take over the reins. The camp of Murasoli Maran, Karunanidhi’s nephew, was also satisfied with this arrangement.The only hitch: Azhagiri.
In the eighties, Karunanidhi geographically divided control of the party between his two politically active sons. Azhagiri was despatched to Madurai, the HQ of southern TN, where he carved out a fiefdom through a politics of intimidation and kangaroo courts. Azhagiri has always been clear about one thing: that he would be king-maker rather than king, and that his supremacy in his ‘area’ be acknowledged by everyone.
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At a deferred celebration of his 52nd birthday in April this year, he said, "I always wanted to promote party workers by making them MLAs, MPs and even ministers," and declared that only one group existed in the south and it was "Kalaignar’s group" led by him. But several DMK leaders in the southern districts, including the murdered Kiruttian, have preferred to stick with Stalin seeing him as the official successor.
The Stalin and Azhagiri factions have clashed intermittently, often leading to street-fights, since Stalin has had not much regard for his elder brother’s sense of jurisdiction. The last time the flare-up assumed serious proportions was ahead of the May 2001 Assembly polls. The latest round of differences between the two is a result of each trying to ensure that his candidates made it in the organisational elections.
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The post of district secretary is crucial in the DMK set-up and people like Kiruttinan have held the post for years. Moreover, since the DMK leadership had decided to reduce the number of district secretaries from 50 to 29, in tune with the number of revenue districts, the competition between the groups was intense, and as it happened, even deadly.
Politically, with Kiruttinan’s death, the DMK has effectively alienated the few Thevar votes they had. This MBC caste that dominates southern districts has already swung the AIADMK way where the Sasikala lobby is seen to take care of its interests.
With the family shadow looming over the party, the already BJP-ised DMK has organisationally seen a Congressification,what with district secretary posts being decided by consensus candidates imposed by Anna Arivalayam, the party headquarters.So when the DMK general council meets on June 2 and predictably elects him president again, Karunanidhi will not have much to celebrate on his 80th birthday the next day.
Dravidian ideologue Periyar Ramasamy, and chief ministers Annadurai, MGR and Kamaraj, did not have the problems Karunanidhi faces, for they had no children. (One could include Jayalalitha Jayaram in this list too, but she is Amma for all of Tamil Nadu and is therefore mother to more than six crore children, not counting her adopted son!) Periyar, who even kept away from political power, in fact suggested that those in public life should have no children since children make a person selfish.
By that reckoning, Karunanidhi has been more than selfish. As political commentator Gnani puts it: "A DMK worker used to take pride in the line ‘the Kazhagam (party) is our kudumbam (family)’. But today The Family has become the party."
