Karunanidhi ailing, MK Stalin made working chief of DMK
MK Stalin, in his short address, said he accepted the position with a heavy heart.
Chennai: Sixty-three year old M.K. Stalin was appointed working president of DMK on Wednesday owing to the ill health of his father and DMK patriarch M. Karunanidhi, 92.
Thunderous applause from those gathered at the party headquarters marked the anoitment of Mr Stalin, who has been waiting for decades to step into his father’s shoes. He will have all the powers of the president, the party’s top post.
Mr Stalin, in his short address, said he accepted the position with a heavy heart.
The mood turned sombre when Mr Stalin was moved to tears at the mention of his father’s inability to attend the DMK’s general council meeting for the first time in the party’s history.
Mr Stalin’s elevation, close on the heels of a change of guard in the AIADMK, marks the beginning of a new era in Tamil Nadu politics.