Vaiko, Who Once Opposed Dynast Politics Elevates Son in Party, Faces Criticism of Lineage Politics

Son of MDMK General Secretary Vaiko has been appointed as the headquarters Secretary of the party after secret voting that happened today at the party HQ in Chennai.

The 49-year-old Durai Vaiyapuri was not active in politics except for going for campaigns during the elections as he was more into business. He now comes into the political coliseum as his father is becoming feeble.

Family politics is not something new to Tamil Nadu. But incidentally, MDMK Chief Vaiko is the same person who spoke against the dynast politics, quit DMK and launched his political outfit when DMK patriarch M. Karunanidhi gave prominence to his son M.K. Stalin in 1994.

“Don’t call it dynast politics. I was not keen on bringing him to politics, but the party cadres insisted that he has capabilities to get elevated and hence it was done democratically,” he got 104 votes out of 106. It’s the decision of party members,” says Vaiko during the press conference that happened after the elevation.

“It’s inevitable, only Durai Vaiyapuri can keep the party intact and keep going as our thalaivar (leader) is getting old. It’s need of the hour,” says a ground-level cadre who stood outside the MDMK HQ since morning today.

“We can’t draw a parallel line between what happened in 1994, DMK was a big party and had a lot of second set leaders which MDMK doesn’t have now. So Durai Vaiyapuri is been inducted formally and he will be the political heir of Vaiko, whatever may come,” says senior journalist Baskar Babu on today’s development.

Durai managed to garner the support of almost 25 district secretaries of the party in the last two years. He also went for political campaigns along with his father since the 2016 Assembly elections, which served as a hint that he will be the successor.

Social media is filled with comments on the irony of how MDMK, a political outfit floated against dynastic politics of DMK, had to resort to the same kind of politics to keep afloat the party hierarchy.

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