Faced with the prospect of having to mediate between his sons, chief minister and DMK president M Karunanidhi denied any rift between Union minister MK Azhagiri and deputy chief minister MK Stalin, adding that it was the prerogative of the party to chose his successor, an issue that is at the heart of the wrangle.
?In DMK, a single person cannot decide who the next leader is. Every individual has his right to an opinion, but when it comes to choosing the next leader, the party is the final authority. Even I don?t have any powers to decide on this issue,? said the DMK patriarch who has been leading the party for over 40 uninterrupted years.
Karunanidhi?s statements, published in the Tamil periodical Nakkheeran, were in direct response to the comments made by his elder son, Union chemicals and fertiliser minister MK Azhagiri, that no one had the qualities or capability to occupy his position. Even as Azhagiri?s statement gave ample indication that all is not well within the family, Karunanidhi denied that there was any problem between his sons as widely believed and reported in the media.
?There are no problems between Azhagiri and Stalin. Both of them are well aware that any such thing will only wound my heart,? Karunanidhi said.
Azhagiri, who had gone on an official tour abroad, is scheduled to return on Wednesday night.
Karunanidhi, an octogenarian, had recently hinted at retiring from politics after being the most active leader of the party. The reins of the party?and the government?were supposed to be handed over to younger son Stalin, who has been groomed under his tutelage over the years.
However, elder son Azhagiri has evidently not agreed to the plan. His statement last week that he would not accept any one other than Karunanidhi as his leader has been interpreted as a bid to revive the war of the siblings in the party. On his part, Karunanidhi had showered praise on Stalin in public, saying the latter was the one who understood his wishes and translated his thoughts into reality.