Chennai: The statue, no doubt, was for M Karunanidhi. But the one who stood tall at its unveiling event and the subsequent public meeting Sunday, no doubt again, was M K Stalin.
By successfully pulling off a mega function that saw the presence of top national leaders, including Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi and Chief Ministers of three States, Stalin has emerged the strongest leader in the south to whom ‘Delhi’ should look to.
And by declaring Congress president Rahul as the prime ministerial candidate, the DMK supremo has made a smart move and re-positioned the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam as the closest ally of the grand old party, checkmating wannabe partners of the Congress and those who were saying Stalin would not accept Rahul for the top job.
Last, but not the cliched least, with a speech that was free-flowing and free from errors, Stalin has sharpened his oratory skills, something considered mandatory for a DMK leader.
Above all, the timing was just perfect, for there could be no better occasion than this to unveil the smarter, sharper and stronger version of Stalin.
From Indira Gandhi era to Manmohan Singh regime, Karunanidhi played a crucial role in the making of prime ministers and the list includes V P Singh, H D Deve Gowda, I K Gujral and Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Now, not in power in the Centre and State, and in the absence of Karunanidhi, the DMK is desperate to make a comeback and Stalin is taking all efforts to achieve the mission.
Says Durai Murugan, DMK’s treasurer, “When Kalaignar passed away, we all were shattered. But, Stalin has filled the void and is leading us from the front. We are sure he will steer the party towards victory in the upcoming elections.”
Though Stalin declaring Rahul as the PM candidate has met with multiple reactions, the DMK president has clearly made a point and hit it off well with DMK and Congress workers.