Udhayanidhi’s posters emerge in Chennai, DMK cadre upset

‘If the DMK wins the polls, Udhayanidhi will be officially number two in the party’.

New Delhi: A month after DMK president M.K. Stalin asked the party’s volunteers to refrain from pasting the pictures of leaders other than his, Periyar, Anna, and Karunanidhi, in the party’s banners and posters, Stalin’s son and the party’s young leader’s picture of Udhayanidhi Stalin in the DMK’s banners last week, has upset DMK volunteers.

Last month, M.K. Stalin had asked the cadre and functionary not to use pictures of any other leaders in order to build a good image of the party within the voters.

A week before Pongal, a major festival in Tamil Nadu, a poster had emerged in Chennai wishing the residents for Pongal, along with the Udhayanidhi Stalin picture on the banner.

However, this poster has upset the DMK volunteers who are the ardent supporter of M.K. Stalin and Karunanidhi. They questioned the leadership for allowing Udhayanidhi Stalin’s supporters to paste such posters in Chennai when the instructions were not to do so.

A cadre told The Sunday Guardian that the DMK and its alliance will contest the Assembly election under the leadership of M.K. Stalin and other people are just volunteers of the party and their aim should be to bring back the party to power.

Sumanth Raman, a political commentator, told The Sunday Guardian, “It is known that the Udhayanidhi Stalin is number two in the party and if the DMK wins the election, Udhayanidhi will be officially number two in the party. If they lose elections, Udhayanidhi’s position will be questioned.”

Tharasu Shyam, a senior journalist, told The Sunday Guardian, “It is a normal thing during the election season. The supporters of a particular leader will paste their pictures on the banners and posters and wish them because they want to remain in the good books of these leaders.”