Secularism plank needs to be spread: DMK

The nation has been prompted to “look south» for DMK’s Parliamentary election strategy that “saved” Tamil Nadu from the “cruel hands of communal forces,” he said.

In an open letter to party workers, Stalin took pride on his party taking the third top slot (23 seats) in the Lok Sabha polls after the BJP (303) and Congress (52).

“A situation has now emerged that necessitates DMK›s plank of secularism in other Indian states as well,” he said.

The DMK chief also batted for pitching secularism for containing the saffron party and winning polls.

Stalin said devising a poll strategy whenever the nation›s democratic and pluralistic values were threatened was the “political dharma” of his father and the party’s deceased patriarch M Karunanidhi.

Following the late leader›s “political dharma», the DMK has posted a massive victory and this has «amazed the north, united the south and astounded the whole country”, he said.

The DMK chief exhorted his party cadre to take part in the birth anniversary celebrations of Karunanidhi here on June 3 to “thank the great leader (Karunanidhi) who gave us the strategy for victory and the people who made us win.”

He asked party workers and leaders to observe “June as Kalaignar›s (Karunanidhi) month,” and hold events through the month in commemoration of the late stalwart. Karunanidhi passed away in August last year.

Meanwhile, the DMK mouthpiece ‘Murasoli,’ (in an editorial on Saturday) has again urged Congress President Rahul Gandhi to take back his offer to step down from the top party post.

Rahul’s move to quit will neither be seconded by the “historic Congress party” nor by the people of India due to their love and affection for the Nehru-Gandhi family, the Dravidian party daily said.

The DMK organ on May 31 had likened Rahul Gandhi to Jawaharlal Nehru for his liberal ideological moorings that went beyond just electoral politics and asserted that the Congress needed a “broad-minded person” like him.

Amid speculations that Udhayanidhi Stalin would shortly be appointed the DMK’s youth wing secretary, replacing incumbent Vellakoil Saminathan, the party’s bylaw amendment committee has lauded Stalin’s son for his campaign during the just-concluded Parliamentary elections.

A meeting of the committee, chaired by DMK Rajya Sabha MP R S Bharati on Saturday, expressed its sincere thanks and wishes to Udhayanidhi, who is also the managing director of Murasoli (DMK mouthpiece), for his “campaign covering the nook and cranny of the State.”

The resolution lauding the party chief’s son called him a “hero who lures youngsters to the party.”

The praise of Udhayanidhi’s ability to “lure youngsters” was seen by observers as an endorsement of unofficial proposals received from second rung leaders to elevate Udhayanidhi to the youth wing secretary’s office.

Significantly, the move to elevate his son seem not to have received the full endorsement of Stalin, who fears it was a tad too early to catapult Udhayanidhi to power.

As soon as the proposal hit the headlines, Stalin had consulted his in-house thinktank, which was also understood to have expressed apprehension that it would encourage political rivals and critics to oppose the appointment.

However, familiar pressure had got the better of wisdom as Stalin was learnt to have given his nod grudgingly to elevate his son.