Brothers up in arms

There's much that is happening in Chennai to keep the rumour mills in overdrive. Muthuvel Karunanidhi and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) look invincible, but the chief minister is worried on two counts. His second wife, Rajathi, mother of Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi has been putting pressure for long on the patriarch to get a cabinet post for her daughter like he did for his elder son M.K. Azhagiri, who is currently the Union chemicals and fertilisers minister in the UPA Government. But it is her second demand that has reportedly infuriated the DMK chief. In an interview to a Tamil magazine, she said, "Karunanidhi should not, as he plans now, relinquish office in favour of his younger son M.K. Stalin, the deputy chief minister."

(From left) Stalin, Karunanidhi and Azhagiri

Karunanidhi's worries are compounded by the fact that his elder son finds common cause with his stepmother. Last week, the succession battle in the DMK appeared to have been reignited with the Azhagiri saying that he would not accept anyone other than his father as the party leader. Azhagiri knows very well that Stalin is a popular leader and nothing can stop him from succeeding his father unless the party itself splits. When asked about Azhagiri's latest salvo, an angry Karunanidhi shot back: "You better go and ask him". Observers now say the party will not need a Jayalalithaa to destroy it; Azhagiri would do it single-handedly.

Just 10 months ago, the succession row in the family appeared to have been settled with Azhagiri being sent to the Centre as a cabinet minister and Stalin assuming office as the deputy chief minister, the second father-son duo to hold the twin posts after the Badals of Punjab. The siblings have since then followed their different paths in politics and governance. While the elder brother is known to give scant regard to his duties as a Union minister, Stalin has been toiling hard to rebuild the party in the state. That is the way he has been ever since he joined the party's students' wing 40 years ago. Even today, he is known to keep 19-hour days, meeting people who come to him with grievances, replying to posts on his website or forwarding them to the relevant department for redressal. In Karunanidhi's absence, he takes over as leader of the House. "He has a clear political vision and acts efficiently. He has become an ideal, credible young leader," says DMK's literary wing secretary and poet Thamizhachi Thangapandian.

Karunanidhi had set a 2010 deadline for Stalin's succession as he wanted to retire after spending more than seven decades in state politics. But Stalin refuses to entertain the question. One doubts if Stalin will ever be made the chief minister. But his continuance will depend on various factors. In that sense, the last general elections served as a litmus test for him. The plight of Sri Lankan Tamils was a major issue and Karunanidhi couldn't participate actively in election campaign due to ill health. During those critical days, Stalin drew his own strategy and nullified the Opposition's attacks to register an astounding electoral victory, both in the Lok Sabha and by-elections.

THE SIBLING RIVALRY IS AROUND SHARING THE PARTY AND GOVERNMENT.

Stalin's accession plans may not come true. His toughest challenge lies not just within the party but inside his family. Karunanidhi's loyal cadres and second-rung leaders are likely to obey their leader's command and accept Stalin as their leader. But within the party, elder brother Azhagiri and younger sister Kanimozhi nurse their own ambitions and have built their band of loyalists. In this context, it would not be easy for him to run the party as well as the Government. In a recent interview, Azhagiri said, "After Annadurai, Kalaignar (Karunanidhi) is my only leader. While he is around, there is no necessity to think about others as leaders. And after him, I won't accept anybody as my leader in the DMK." Such statements hint that the road ahead for Stalin is far from smooth. Though a patch up with the Maran brothers--Sun TV Networks' Kalanidhi Maran and the Union Textiles Minister Dayanidhi Maran--had been worked out by Karunanidhi, the Azhagiri factor continues to bother him. Added to this is the fact that Kanimozhi looks up to Azhagiri and not Stalin. "I cannot help to secure anybody's future. But as an elder brother, my affection and support will always be there for Kanimozhi," Azhagiri said.

Any effort to place Stalin as the head of the Government and the party is likely to be met with stiff resistance. Azhagiri is eyeing the party chief's post and may be generous enough to allow his younger brother Stalin to hold fort in the government. But Stalin isn't willing to accept Azhagiri and his "party for me, the government (chief minister's post) for you" formula. A few years ago, Azhagiri was offered a "specially created" post of south zone organisational secretary. He was given the charge of managing eight southern districts where all district secretaries from the constituencies falling under the districts were asked to report to Azhagiri. Among these district secretaries, many were traditionally Stalin supporters.

Karunanidhi with daughter and Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi

While Azhagiri enjoys full support of three district secretaries, the remaining five, though Stalin supporters, were unable to disobey him. Now, Azhagiri is pressuring his father to hand over the control of three more districts to him. These districts are DMKstrongholds and by taking charge of these areas, Azhagiri plans to have a firm grip over many of the MLAs and MPs in the state and strengthen his support base. Stalin, of course, will have none of this.

Tamil Nadu has seen 10 by-elections during the current DMK regime. In all these elections, both Stalin and Azhagiri worked hard to prove themselves as vote catchers. Yet, many say in all the by-elections, it was Azhagiri who saw to it that all the electoral logistics (freebies and money) were handed over to the voters and ensured the party's stellar victories. The media too called him the "by-election specialist". But, in a recent party working committee meet, one of the resolutions praised Stalin's way of handling political issues in Delhi. Azhagiri expected that the resolution regarding by-election victories will give due credit to him. When he found that the resolution appreciated "all those who had worked hard for the victory", Azhagiri went away without attending the afternoon session. During the same session, Azhagiri supporters had placed posters in the name of Azhagiri Peravai. Karunanidhi immediately ordered the removal of all such posters and announced that the party has issued an order to ban the efforts to form a new association in the name of "Azhagiri Peravai" and will take stern action against anyone who disobeys.

The distance between the brothers manifests often at crucial junctures. Even in the recent Pennagaram by-election, the so called "by-election specialist" Azhagiri did not participate in the campaign. Instead, he chose to visit Australia in his capacity as Union minister. But Karunanidhi, who didn't campaign for the previous by-elections, is campaigning at Pennagaram this time. Many see this as Azhagiri's way of communicating his dissatisfaction.

THE DMK IS BANKING ON KARUNANIDHI TO END THE FAMILY CRISIS.

With the power struggle between the brothers approaching its peak, Karunanidhi is said to be reconsidering his June retirement. Speaking at a function, he said that his health isn't as bad as what a lot of people make it out to be. This is perhaps the first indication that he may now opt to wait rather than make way for Stalin, as promised earlier. Since there is no anti-incumbency feeling in the state and with the Opposition in disarray, he may even be toying with the idea of preponing the assembly polls, due next year. Sources in the DMK say the party leadership is waiting for the Pennagaram by-elections to be over and will then decide its future course of action. Till then Karunanidhi himself might continue to be the chief minister. He may be projected as the chief ministerial candidate even for the next assembly polls though, if the DMK wins a majority, Stalin may take over as chief minister.

Karunanidhi realises that the Stalin Vs Azhagiri power tussle is getting out of hand, but in the spat between the two, the younger is his favourite and any tiff between the two may not bode well for his party's future in the state. Over the years, Karunanidhi has managed to weaken the base of its staunchest enemy, the AIADMK, and in the last Parliament elections, he foxily snapped his ties with his constant critic S. Ramadoss' Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) and made it bite the dust. He also made Vijayakanth's Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK), politically insignificant, lose its deposit in the by-elections.

Though the party doesn't have a clear majority in the state Assembly, Karunanidhi rules the state with the outside support of the Congress. Right now, neither Jayalalithaa nor Ramadoss are his worst enemies but it is the simmering cold war between his two sons that is Kalaignar's biggest worry. The future of the DMK will depend a lot on how this 85-year-old veteran of many a political battle will tackle the enemy within.

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