MDMK all set to anoint Durai Vaiko as successor to Vaiko

Chennai: While V. Gopalaswami a.k.a. Vaiko had rebelled and quit Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) challenging Kalaignar Karunanidhi's decision of bringing in his son M.K. Stalin to the party leadership, his party (MDMK) is all set to appoint his son Durai Vaiko as his successor.

The MDMK district secretaries and state office bearers' meeting scheduled to be held at its state headquarters on Wednesday would formally induct the young scion into the party fold. A party district secretary told IANS, "Durai Vaiko is our next leader and we need the charisma of Vaiko to carry the party forward and we realised that only his son can carry forward the ideals of the father. More than 25 district committees of the party have passed a resolution to bring in Durai Vaiko at the helm of affairs in MDMK."

Marumalrchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) literally translated into English means, Renaissance Dravidian Progressive Federation and was aptly titled so after Vaiko walked out of DMK in 1994 when Stalin came into the helm of affairs in DMK politics. Perhaps MDMK is the only political party in Tamil Nadu which was floated against 'Dynastic Politics'.

However, it has come to a full circle and Vaiko is bringing in his son Durai Vaiko to the MDMK leadership on the request of several party district secretares.

Vaiko was an aggressive leader and took up several issues concerning Tamils and had publicly aired his support to the Tamil national movement in Sri Lanka and was alleged to be closely associated with the founder leader of LTTE, late Velupillai Prabhakaran.

With the advent of Durai Vaiko, the party cadres and district secretaries believe that he would carry forward the legacy of his illustrious father and with Vaiko having failing health, another leader at the helm of affairs is imminent. Durai Vaiko, according to MDMK lower leaders, has the charisma and ability to take the party along with him.

On October 11, Vaiko, in an emotional appeal, stated that he would not prefer his son Durai Vaiko to be in politics and that politics is one field where there is no personal life. He had asserted that politics in the family should end with him and that he would not want his son to join politics.

However, as a shrewd politician, Vaiko knows that without a good leader who commands respect from all sections of the party, the MDMK will not be able to surge ahead. Sources in MDMK told IANS that Vaiko had reluctantly agreed to bring in his son as he knows that it would water down his position in Tamil political history as a person against dynastic politics.

Dr Uma Maheswari, political observer and social sciences professor at a private college in Chennai told IANS, "It's ironic that MDMK, a political outfit floated against dynastic politics of DMK had to resort to the same dynastic politics to keep afloat the party hierarchy. It has come a full circle and let us hope that Durai Vaiko carries forward the legacy of his father and sticks to the ideological stand the party was propagating since its formation."