Stalin offers to quit, later retracts

In a dramatic development, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president and M Karunanidhi’s younger son M K Stalin offered to quit from the treasurer post on Sunday owning moral responsibility for the party's debacle in the Lok Sabha polls but later he decided to withdraw his decision.

Stalin, tipped to be the heir apparent of the party and holding treasurer post after he won the succession battle with his elder brother and former Union minister M K Alagiri over a month ago, has reportedly given the resignation letter to his father Karunanidhi at his Gopalapuram residence. 

However, after Karunanidhi’s advice and protest by his supporters against the move, Stalin made a U-turn and withdrew his decision. The DMK, which contested 34 seats with VCK and Puthiya Tamizhagam as its main allies, suffered a severe drubbing at the hustings as it was not able to win even a single seat in the Lok Sabha elections.

After Stalin’s initial move, events turned serious as Karunanidhi went into a huddle with senior leaders while many others, including party workers, started thronging Stalin's residence, demanding him to reconsider his decision.

Talking to reporters after meeting Stalin at his residence, senior DMK leader and party Deputy General Secretary Duraimurugan said Karunanidhi has decided not to accept the resignation. “Stalin has submitted his resignation letter to Karunanidhi. He (DMK Chief) did not accept it,” he said.

He said Karunanidhi advised Stalin that there was no need for quitting and that the “young leader” had to steer the party in the future even as the political stalwart told his son that one should not be bogged down by such defeats. 

Alagiri, expelled recently for his alleged indiscipline, had reportedly demanded his younger brother’s resignation holding him responsible for the poll defeat. Alagiri described Stalin’s decision to quit as “drama” and alleged that it was the part of a plan to grab the top position in the DMK.