Tamil Nadu’s new deputy chief minister, Udhayanidhi Stalin, knows that not all his colleagues are happy with his elevation. “I accept your criticisms and will reply to them through my work,” he said, responding to his critics. In his two-year stint as a minister in his father M.K. Stalin’s cabinet, Udhayanidhi has endeared himself to the DMK cadre with his outspoken style. It has also played a key role in making him the new face of the 75-year-old Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.
The opposition calls Udhayanidhi a dynast, while his detractors within the DMK call him a novice. But his elevation does not herald a drastic change in Tamil Nadu politics. It reflects the sense of continuity in the DMK, which has ruled the state for over five full terms. By elevating Udhayanidhi, Stalin has indicated that his son will be his successor not just in the government, but also in the party. It has given the DMK a young face to fight the new entrant to Tamil politics, actor Vijay, and BJP leader K. Annamalai. “The decision by the DMK high command is strategic and timely. Udhayanidhi’s elevation assures succession and continuity in the party,” said Vignesh Karthik K.R., postdoctoral research fellow at the Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies, Leiden.
Udhayanidhi, who was a film actor and producer, got into active politics in 2019, campaigning in the Lok Sabha elections. Soon after the elections, he was appointed as the DMK’s youth wing secretary. Clad in jeans and a T-shirt with the party’s youth wing symbol printed on it, Udhayanidhi talks casually with people, eschewing classical Tamil and poetic verses. “He is particular that he engages with the people in any public meeting. He can make the crowd love him,” said Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu.
Although he is not a voracious reader or writer like Dravidian stalwarts C.N. Annadurai or M. Karunanidhi, Udhayanidhi follows their ideology. “He is a rationalist and a secularist. He understands Dravidian politics and is known for his ideological moorings,” said DMK spokesperson and students wing deputy leader Rajiv Gandhi.
Udhayanidhi’s rise in the party has been quick. While his father spent nearly three decades in public life before he was elevated to the top echelons of power, it took Udhayanidhi just three years. Stalin was 68 when he was named deputy chief minister, while Udhayanidhi is only 46. “He grasps things quickly and comes prepared for every single meeting,” said Thennarasu.
Udhayanidhi places great importance on sticking to his Dravidian roots. He is clear-eyed about the party’s ideology and is a staunch opponent of the RSS and the BJP. His call for eradicating sanatana dharma just like dengue or malaria landed him in a legal soup. But his supporters hail him as a leader who can take on the DMK’s ideological opponents, just like his grandfather Karunanidhi did in the past. During the 2021 assembly campaign, Udhayanidhi challenged Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the BJP to take action against him after income tax officials raided the residence of his younger sister Senthamarai.
People who know Udhayanidhi well say he is an active listener. “That is a key skill for a leader. He asks pointed questions during review meetings. The party took note of his administrative and management capabilities while he was serving the youth wing. After becoming an MLA and then a minister, people saw his skills in governance. There is a big element of Kalaignarism in his political narrative, which the cadre and the public love,” said Industries Minister T.R.B. Raaja.
In the DMK, the high command derives its strength largely from second-rung leaders, particularly the district secretaries. Like his grandfather and father, Udhayanidhi knows this and he maintains cordial ties with all district secretaries.
Udhayanidhi’s rise, however, has upset many people within the party and also the family. His aunt Kanimozhi has made it clear that she is not happy with the elevation. On the day Udhayanidhi took over as deputy chief minister, she posted on Instagram her photo with Karunanidhi in the background. “Appa, you are with me,” read the caption. When Udhayanidhi visited her seeking her blessings before assuming charge, she looked disinterested. “I am nobody to advise him. It is up to the CM to advise him,” she told reporters.
Many senior DMK members are opposed to Udhayanidhi’s elevation as they feel it normalises dynastic succession in the party. In fact, Tamil superstar Rajinikanth’s “old student” remark, referring to the 86-year-old DMK general secretary Durai Murugan, was an indication of the discontent in the party. Speaking at a meeting to honour Karunanidhi, Rajinikanth praised Stalin for his handling of DMK stalwarts. “For teachers, handling new students is always easy. But the challenge comes when handling old students. Here, all the old students refuse to leave their class. There is a person called Durai Murugan, who was very tough even for Karunanidhi to handle. Stalin sir, hats off to you,” said Rajinikanth.
Udhayanidhi might find it difficult handling the old guard. Sources said none of the senior ministers agreed to give up their portfolios for him. Stalin, meanwhile, has framed Udhayanidhi’s elevation as a move to serve the people. “He is not my deputy. He would be a deputy to the people,” he said. “Udhayanidhi has been made the deputy chief minister only with the intention that his actions would contribute to the development of the DMK as well as Tamil Nadu.”