DMK leaders pledge support to Stalin

Chennai, Aug 14: Top DMK leaders on Tuesday made it clear that they and the party were solidly behind its Working President M.K. Stalin, whose father and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi died a week ago. An emergency meeting of the Executive Committee was called at the DMK headquarters here with a single agenda - to pass a resolution condoling the death of DMK President Karunanidhi. The meeting was chaired by Stalin, who is also the Leader of the Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Assembly. After the passage of the condolence resolution that praised Karunanidhi and listed his numerous achievements, party leaders including Duraimurugan, T.R. Baalu and others expressed their support to Stalin and urged him to take over the party’s mantle. “Working President and soon-to-become President, lead us and we will obey your orders,” Duraimurugan thundered.

Addressing the gathering, former Union Minister Baalu said in a quivering voice: “The commander of the army is no more. Nobody has to tell who will be the next commander. Stalin has all the qualities to lead.” Several District Secretaries of the party also voiced their staunch support to Stalin as the party’s top leader. Tuesday’s meeting came a day after expelled DMK leader M.K. Alagiri, Stalin’s elder brother, asserted that “true loyalists” of Karunanidhi were with him and that Stalin was a poor leader. (IANS)