After a long time as prince in waiting, Stalin finally to be DMK king
Chennai, Aug 27: M.K. Stalin, virtually anointed as his political heir by the late leader M. Karunanidhi, is all set to be elected the DMK President on Tuesday.
His final "coronation" is expected to be announced formally on Tuesday at the party headquarters when the DMK's General Council is set to meet.
The election of Stalin as the DMK's second President is likely to be a smooth affair as all the 65 district secretaries of the party have proposed his name for the top post and his is the only nomination.
He will be the second President of the party, a post which was held by his father Karunanidhi for 49 long years.
Stalin was given the role of Working President in January 2017 after his late father and former Chief Minister Karunanidhi was largely confined to his home due to age related ailments.
The elevation of Stalin as the party President became a necessity after Karunanidhi passed away early this month.
The 65-year-old son of Karunanidhi will relinquish the post of Treasurer and senior leader Duraimurugan is set to be elected unopposed to that post as no other nomination has been filed for that post.
The path to the ascension of throne by Stalin was paved at the party's Executive Committee meeting held on August 14 where senior leaders one after another urged the 'waiting prince' to lead them by taking over the party's mantle.
But whether the tenure is going to be smooth for Stalin has to be seen as he has to face the challenge of leading the party to victory in the ensuing by-elections in two Assembly constituencies: Tiruvarur (fell vacant after Karunanidhi's death) and Thiruparankundram (vacant after the death of AIADMK lawmaker A.K. Bose).
The DMK's candidate in the R.K. Nagar by-election in Chennai lost his deposit and came a poor third after independent candidate T.T.V. Dinakaran and AIADMK leader E. Madhusudhanan.
There is also a complaint that Stalin as the Working President was not able to lure some of the disgruntled AIADMK legislators and come to power.
Stalin's elder brother M.K. Alagiri, who opposed his leadership and was later dismissed from the party by Karunanidhi for anti-party activities, may work against the DMK party in the by-elections.
Alagiri has announced his plans to hold a rally in Chennai early next month to show his strength. On Monday, he warned that if he was not taken back into the party, then DMK would have to face "consequences".
The Alagiri-Stalin rivalry has plagued the DMK for a long time but Karunanidhi kept a fragile peace.
"I feel Alagiri himself may contest in Tiruvarur. He may like to ride on the wave of being Karunanidhi's own son. It is immaterial if he loses provided DMK also loses," political analyst Raveendran Duraiswamy told IANS.
He said Alagiri may not be a challenge for Stalin within the party but may pose a hurdle from outside.
According to Duraiswamy, the poll scene in Tamil Nadu has changed to a three-corner contest between the AIADMK, DMK and AMMK led by Dinakaran.
Stalin will also be under intense scrutiny and would be compared with Karunanidhi for a long time time. It may take some time and some election victories for Stalin to come out of his father's shadows.
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Bond between Assamese Muslims, Hindus very strong: Author Wasbir Hussain
Guwahati (PTI): The bond between Assamese Hindus and Assamese Muslims is very strong and no one can easily break the traditional friendship between the two communities, Wasbir Hussain, author and executive director of Centre for Development and Peace Studies, has said.
Addressing the fourth anniversary celebrations of the Assamese Syed Welfare Trust, an organisation representing the Assamese Syeds, Hussain on Sunday urged Gauhati University to start a chair in the name of Azan Pir, a 17th-century Muslim reformer and Sufi saint, on the subject of 'inter-faith harmony or harmony of communities'.
Assamese Syeds are one of the five Muslim groups officially recognised by the Assam government as indigenous communities of the state.
Hussain said except religion, there is no difference between Assamese Hindus and Assamese Muslims. Their language is the same, culture is the same, food habits are the same and they dress the same way, he said.
"I strongly believe that no one can easily break the traditional bond of friendship between Assamese Hindus and Assamese Muslims," he said.
Hussain, who is also the editor-in-chief of Guwahati-based Northeast Live, spoke about how the indigenous Muslims of Assam follow cultural Islam compared to religious Islam and live peacefully with the larger Hindu population of the state.
He complimented Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for taking initiatives for the protection of the heritage of the Assamese Muslim community and its overall growth.
Gauhati University Vice Chancellor Nani Gopal Mahanta, the chief guest of the event, said people or communities can have multiple identities that transcend religion.
He cited the example of Assamese Muslims and Syeds who are descendants of Sufi saint Azan Pir, saying they are part of the greater Assamese society.
Mahanta assured that he will push for the Assamese Syed Welfare Trust's proposal to introduce the Azan Pir chair in Gauhati University and that he will work towards republishing the works of renowned Assamese writer Syed Abdul Malik's 'Jikirs Aru Jari'.
Assamese Syed Welfare Trust president Syed Abdul Rashid Ahmed also spoke on the occasion.
