M.K. Stalin

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**M.K.Stalin**

Born	March 01, 1953 Chennai , Tamil Nadu
Residence	Chennai
Office	Member of Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly
Constituency	Thousand Lights
Political party	DMK
Spouse	Durga Stalin
Children	2 children
As of October 23, 2006 Source: [1]

Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin was born on March 1, 1953 in Madras, now Chennai.He is an Indian Politican.He is better known as M.K.Stalin.He is the son of the incumbent chief minister of Tamil Nadu Karunanidhi. He was named after the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, who had died in the same year as his birth. Stalin completed his graduation in history from Presidency College in Madras University.^[1] Stalin became the Minister for Rural Development and Local Administration in the Government of Tamil Nadu after the 2006 assembly elections.^[2]

1 Political career
2 Dynasty Controversy
3 Reference
4 External Links

[edit] Political career

His political career began when as a 14-year old, he campaigned in the 1967 elections. In 1973 Stalin was elected to the General committee of the DMK. He came to limelight when he was jailed under MISA for protesting against emergency. ^[3]Stalin has been elected 4 times to the Tamil Nadu Assembly since 1989 from the Thousand Lights constituency in Chennai.Stalin became the city's first directly elected Mayor in 1996.^[4] Stalin was reelected Mayor in 2001 ^[5] however Jayalalithaa brought in Tamil Nadu Municipal Laws (Amendment) Act, 2002 a law that prevents a person from holding two elected posts in the government and applied it retrospectively to Stalin's case (he was both an elected MLA and mayor) in a move widely seen as aimed at removing as Chennai's Mayor .^[6]however the Madras High Court strunk down the law stating that legislative bodies were not “prevented” from making laws affecting the “substantive rights” of persons retrospectively. However the court held under Madras (now Chennai) City Municipal Corporation Act, 1919 a person cannot be Mayor for for two consecutive terms through unlike Stalin earlier mayor were not directly elected.Stalin did not appeal in the Supreme Court.^[7] Stalin has been arrested several times on various public issues since he was first arrested in 1975 under MISA. Karunanidhi midnight arrest in which Karunanidhi,Stalin,Maran and others were arrested shocked the whole country under the flyover scam in which the FIR was lodged on Friday night and he was arrested on saturday morning .^[8]It was seen as a clear case of political vendatta.^[9]While the arrests took place in 2001 ,the chargesheet was only filed after 4 years in 2005.^[10]

Stalin being felicitated by Latha Rajendran secretary of Dr.MGR Janaki College of Arts and Science for Women

[edit] Dynasty Controversy

Opponents of the DMK and some political observers criticise Karunanidhi is trying to promote Stalin as an attempt to start a political dynasty along the lines of the Nehru-Gandhi family.Vaiko who quit the DMK has been the most vocal and some political observer see it as a move to sideline Vaiko as he was seen as threat to Stalin. However DMK sources refute this and say Stalin has come up on his own merit .They point that Stalin has come up on his own has faced a lot of hardship since 1975 when he was jailed under MISA was beaten up in jail so brutally during the Emergency that fellow DMK Party prisoner died trying to save him.^[11].Stalin was a MLA in 1989 and 1996 when his father Karunanidhi was the Chief Minister but he was not indicted into the Cabinet.He contested and became Chennai's 44 mayor but the 1st directly elected Mayor in 1996.It was only in his 4th term as MLA has he been made a Minister in the Karunanidhi cabinet and his rise is slow and steady.They further point out that Karunanidhi has even expelled his other sons MK Muthu and Azhagiri when they were guilty of wrong doing ^[12]