On March 21, Tamil Nadu opposition leader M.K. Stalin sent a two-page letter to chief ministers of non-BJP-ruling states, criticising the fiscal policy of the Union government and pointing out how the BJP’s moves would affect the fiscal autonomy of the states. His letter set the tone for a conclave of finance ministers of south Indian states. After taking over as the DMK’s working president in January 2017, Stalin has recast himself as a people’s leader in Tamil Nadu politics. His Cauvery protests, the #GoBackModi protests and the black flag protests against the governor were well received by the public.
Stalin’s smooth elevation was the logical progression of the plan that his father and DMK patriarch M. Karunanidhi had set in motion. Opposing voices in the family fell silent, after it became clear that Karunanidhi wanted this to happen. From the age of 14, he has been in the heat and dust of Dravidian politics. But, his elevation to the top came only after 50 years of work on the ground. And, now, at the age of 65, he is the undisputed leader of the DMK.
This story is from the May 20, 2018 edition of THE WEEK.
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This story is from the May 20, 2018 edition of THE WEEK.
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