Stalin writes to his father’s beloved ‘brethren’

CHENNAI: A day after being appointed as the working president of the DMK, M K

Stalin

on Thursday claimed that only his party can create a better Tamil Nadu.

In an epistle to cadres, his first and a takeaway from his father and party patriarch M Karunanidhi, Stalin recalled late chief minister C N Annadurai’s famous words “Ei, Thaazhndha Thamizhagame” (Fallen Tamil Nadu). “There is no opportunity for the youth in the state now, and women have been facing all sorts of sufferings in the last five years. Only the DMK can create a better Tamil Nadu in the coming years,” he said. While his father signed off such letters to cadres as MK, Stalin signed it as M K Stalin.

He said, “Instead of looking at me as the son of thalaivar (DMK chief M Karunanidhi), you should consider me one among you.”

While Karunanidhi addressed party members as “Udan Pirappey” (brethren), Stalin started the letter by saying “Our thalaivar’s beloved brethren” and went on to say, “I write as one among you.”

“The letters written by thalaivar used to educate all cadres. Even on the election result day, whether the DMK won the election or lost, still he would write to cadres just to boost them,” DMK principal secretary S Duraimurugan told TOI. He said Stalin is continuing the tradition and his letters will enthuse party workers too.

Karunanidhi started writing to party cadres in ‘Murasoli’ as early as 1954. “Thalaivar started writing as ‘

Ponmudi Kaditham

’, ‘

Maravan Madal

’, ‘Neetholai’ etc. Finally he settled to write ‘

Kalaignar Kaditham

’,” Dravidan historian K Thirunavukarasu told TOI.

“Cadres who used to buy the paper read the letter written by their thalaivar early in the morning. It will have all the current news and how the party is approaching issues and how cadres need to deal with it,” said Thirunavukarasu. The letters often rebutted opposition criticism and sometimes educated the cadres on Tamil literature.

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