Father to son: on Stalin as DMK president
As DMK president, Stalin has no challengers from within, but faces a new mix of rivals
In appropriating(अपनाना/हड़पना) the political legacy of his father M. Karunanidhi, and emerging(उभर रहा) as the undisputed(निर्विवाद/साफ़-जाहिर) leader of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, M.K. Stalin faced the greatest challenge from within his immediate family than from the wider(सामान्य/व्यापक) party organisation. That he was Karunanidhi’s son helped him in ways small and big right through his political career, but Mr. Stalin also needed to beat back the challenge from his elder brother, M.K. Alagiri. In the event, his elevation(उन्नति/ऊंचाई) as the president of the DMK on Tuesday was an uncontested(निर्विरोध) process as Mr. Alagiri had been expelled(निष्कासित/ख़ारिज) from the party in 2014 on the suggestion of Karunanidhi himself. However, the general council meeting in Chennai that elected him president served as an opportunity(अवसर/मौक़ा) for Mr. Stalin to demonstrate(साबित करना/दिखाना) his support within the organisation. Many of the middle-rung leaders who had earlier proffered allegiance(निष्ठा/वफ़ादारी) to Mr. Alagiri fell in line, and backed Mr. Stalin’s claim to the leadership of the party. While Mr. Alagiri is putting up a fight from outside the party by alleging misuse of party funds and assets(संपत्ति) and calling for a rally on September 5 in Chennai, he is politically isolated(अलग-अलग) now. Unless Mr. Stalin leads the DMK to successive(लगातार/लगातार) electoral defeats(हार/शिकस्त), Mr. Alagiri cannot hope to win back any support within the party. Evidently(बेशक/निस्संदेह), he overplayed his hand, failing to see his finesse opportunity while Karunanidhi was still alive. Mr. Stalin, in contrast, played the waiting game, never violating(उल्लंघन करने) party discipline or exceeding(अत्यधिक/से अधिक) his brief(संक्षेप करना/संक्षिप्त). Mr. Alagiri’s irrational impulse lost out to Mr. Stalin’s studied patience(धैर्य/सहनशीलता).
For Mr. Stalin, the real worry is not his brother but his political opponents(प्रतिद्वंद्वी/विरोधियों). While the Lok Sabha election is less than a year away, the election that matters most for him, the Tamil Nadu Assembly election, is not due for another three years. Mr. Stalin must be hoping that the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government of Edappadi K. Palaniswami will not survive(बना रहना/जीवित रहना) that long, being pulled as it is in different directions by dissidents(असंतुष्टों) and an overbearing prospective(भावी/प्रत्याशित) ally(सहयोगी/जोड़ना), the Bharatiya Janata Party. The DMK, having firmed up its alliance with the Congress, would normally have been the favourite to win against a divided AIADMK, but the entry of film actors Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth into electoral politics has introduced new variables into the political mix. As he said after his election, Mr. Stalin will need to reinvent(एक नए अंदाज़ में) himself and the DMK. The Dravidian ideology(विचारधारा) can do with a reboot of rationalism(बुद्धिवाद/तर्कवाद); and the DMK will have to align its short-term electoral interests with a long-term vision of the development path for Tamil Nadu. As his father did before him, Mr. Stalin must rely on a wider cross-section for support and advice rather than a coterie. In the midst of the political churn, he will have to find his moorings.
Important Vocabulary
1.Appropriating(अपनाना/हड़पना)
Synonyms: allot, apportion, devote, disburse, earmark
Antonyms: hold, keep, retain, waste, withhold
2.Demonstrate(साबित करना/दिखाना)
Synonyms: determine, establish, exhibit, expose, indicate
Antonyms: conceal, cover, disprove, hide, confuse
3.Patience(धैर्य/सहनशीलता).
Synonyms: composure, diligence, endurance, fortitude, grit
Antonyms: agitation, arousal, cowardice, idleness, indifference
4.Elevation(उन्नति/ऊंचाई
Synonyms: altitude, ascent, mountain, acclivity, boost
Antonyms: decrease, flat, demotion, depression, disdain
5.Brief(संक्षेप करना/संक्षिप्त)
Synonyms: abrupt, blunt, concise, pithy, succinct
Antonyms: expansive, lengthy, long-winded, wordy, benevolent
6.Reinvent(एक नए अंदाज़ में)
Synonyms: remake, revive, renovate, resuscitate, revamp
7.Rationalism(बुद्धिवाद/तर्कवाद);
Synonyms: attitude, doctrine, idea, ideology, logic
8.Expelled(निष्कासित/ख़ारिज)
Synonyms: dislodge, drive out, evacuate, remove, belch
Antonyms: absorb, admit, allow, permit, take in
