M. K. Stalin

In this Indian name, the name Muthuvel Karunanidhi is a patronymic, not a family name, and the person should be referred to by the given name, Stalin.

M. K. Stalin

Stalin in January 2012
Dy. Chief Minister of Tamilnadu
In office 29 May 2009 – 15 May 2011
Minister for Municipal Administration and Rural Development
In office 13 May 2006 – 15 May 2011
Succeeded by	K. P. Munusamy
Mayor of Chennai
In office October 1996 – October 2001
Mayor of Chennai
In office October 2001 – October 2002
Personal details
Born	(1953-03-01) 1 March 1953 Madras, Madras State, India
Political party	Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Spouse(s)	Durga alias Saantha
Children	Udhayanidhi Stalin Senthamarai
Residence	Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Website	http://mkstalin.in/

Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin (Tamil: மு.க. ஸ்டாலின் Mu.Ka. Sṭāliṉ) (born 1 March 1953) is an Indian politician, better known as M. K. Stalin. He is the third son of famous politician of Tamil Nadu, Karunanidhi, and was born to his second wife, Mrs. Dayalu Ammal and was named after Joseph Stalin (who died later that week). Stalin completed his graduation in history from Presidency College, Chennai in University of Madras.^[1] Stalin became the Minister for Rural Development and Local Administration in the Government of Tamil Nadu after the 2006 assembly elections. On 29 May 2009, Stalin was nominated as Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu by Governor Surjit Singh Barnala.^[2] His elder brother M. K. Alagiri was the Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers[Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers (India)]. His half-sister Kanimozhi is a Rajya Sabha member.^[3]

Stalin serves as Youth Wing President of the DMK. On 3 January 2013 M.K. Karunanidhi named him as his heir apparent, thus ending a long time confusion about who would take over the party reins after Karunanidhi's death.^[4]

Political career

M. K. Stalin was born in Madras, now Chennai. 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 Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).

He came to limelight when he was jailed under Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) for protesting against the Emergency.^[5] Stalin has been elected four 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.^[6]

Stalin was reelected Mayor in 2001,^[7] however, the then Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa enacted the Tamil Nadu Municipal Laws (Amendment) Act, 2002, a law that prevents a person from holding two elected posts in the government. This law was applied retrospectively to Stalin's case (he was elected MLA) in a move widely seen as aimed at removing as Chennai's Mayor.^[8] However the Madras High Court struck 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 two consecutive terms though unlike Stalin earlier mayor were not directly elected. Stalin did not appeal in the Supreme Court.^[9]

Stalin has been arrested several times on various public issues since he was first arrested in 1975 under MISA, which is close to terrorism and goondas act. severe physical punishment has been imposed on him previously. Karunanidhi midnight arrest in which Karunanidhi, Stalin, Maran, and others were arrested and charged in the flyover scam. This was widely considered to be an act of political vendetta,^[10] as the FIR or police complaint was lodged on Friday night and the arrests were carried out only a few hours later on Saturday morning.^[11] While the arrests took place in 2001, the chargesheet was only filed in court four years later, in 2005.^[12]

In Tamil Nadu, Stalin played a crucial role in the campaigning and the eventual victory of the DMK-Allied-United Progressive Alliance (UPA) in the 2009 general election. He won the 2011 MLA election from Kolathur Constituency, Chennai. MK Stalin is also the first politician to introduced modern technologies in the South Indian political arena. The “Reach Your MLA” program introduced by him in 2014 comprises a variety of technological initiatives ranging from interactive website, mobile apps, and 24/7 hot line among others.

Dynasty controversy

Opponents of the DMK criticise that 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 observers see it as a move to sideline Vaiko as he was seen as threat to Stalin.

However, DMK sources and political supporters deny this and say Stalin has come up on his own merit. They say that Stalin has faced a lot of hardship since 1975 when he was jailed under MISA. He was beaten up in jail so brutally during the Emergency that a fellow DMK Party prisoner named Chitti Babu died trying to save him.^[13]^[14] Stalin was an MLA in 1989 and 1996 when his father Karunanidhi was the Chief Minister but he was not inducted into the Cabinet. He contested and became Chennai's 44th mayor but the first directly elected Mayor in 1996. It was only in his fourth term as MLA that he was 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 M.K. Muthu and M.K. Azhagiri when they were guilty of wrongdoing.^[15] He won in election 2011 as an MLA.

M. K. Stalin

Political career

Dynasty controversy

See also

References

External links