M. K. Stalin - Dynasty Controversy

Dynasty Controversy

Opponents of the DMK, some political observers and the DMK party's senior-most members criticise that Karunanidhi is trying to promote Stalin as an attempt to start a political dynasty along the lines of the Nehru-Gandhi family. Vaiko, who quit the DMK, has been the most vocal and some political observers see it as a move to sideline Vaiko as he was seen as threat to Stalin.

However, DMK sources and political supporters deny this and say Stalin has come up on his own merit. They say that Stalin has faced a lot of hardship since 1975 when he was jailed under MISA. He was beaten up in jail so brutally during the Emergency that a fellow DMK Party prisoner died trying to save him.

Stalin was an MLA in 1989 and 1996 when his father Karunanidhi was the Chief Minister but he was not inducted into the Cabinet. He contested and became Chennai's 44th mayor but the first directly elected Mayor in 1996. It was only in his fourth term as MLA that he was made a Minister in the Karunanidhi cabinet and his rise is slow and steady. They further point out that Karunanidhi has even expelled his other sons M.K. Muthu and M.K. Azhagiri when they were guilty of wrongdoing. He won in election 2011 as an MLA.