Chennai: The DMK Youth Wing’s second conference, which was perceived to be an occasion to anoint its secretary and State Minister for Youth Affairs, Udhayanidhi Stalin, for a much bigger role in the government, seems to be a jinxed event as it has been postponed for the second time for the same reason: Rains and floods.
Scheduled to be held at Salem on December 24 after the first postponement, the youth wing was eagerly waiting for the event and making all arrangements to make it a success when the heavy rains ravaged the four southern districts of Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, Tenkasi and Kanyakumari from December 17 bringing life to standstill.
Earlier it was planned for December 17 when Cyclone Michaung brought unprecedented rains to Chennai and three adjoining districts, not only throwing life out of gear but also necessitating the total involvement of the government machinery and also the ruling party functionaries in the relief operations.
So to play it safe and not let the relief work be affected, the DMK put it off by a week. But now with Udhayanidhi Stalin himself rushing to the flood affected areas in the southern districts and many party functionaries assigned mitigation work, holding the conference in another five days would be difficult. For not only would all party leaders and cadre not be free to drive down to Salem even the condition of the roads will not be known till then.
The current indefinite postponement of the conference, however, has raised some concerns as it is believed that it might be able to organize it before late January, some party sources feel.
In the first week of January, the State government is holding its ambitious Global Investors Meet in Chennai from January 7 and the entire state machinery, including the State Ministers would be focused on the event that Chief Minister M K Stalin wants to be a successful one.
Then, it might not be possible to hold the youth conference during the Pongal holiday that would begin by January 14 and then there could also be an Assembly session in the month making DMK leaders, including Udhayanidhi Stalin busy with that.
So, fearing an inordinate delay in the holding of the youth conference, those who were waiting for the event to enable the party to show its strength ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls are disappointed.
For, apart from the possible anointment of Udhayanidhi Stalin, the party is expected to convene a gathering of party workers bigger than the crowd that AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami managed to attract to his Madurai golden jubilee conference in August.
In fact the DMK announced the youth wing meet a few days after the AIADMK conference, recalling the first conference at Tirunelveli in 2007 that set the tone for the then youth wing secretary Stalin to become the party treasurer a year later and then the deputy Chief Minister in 2009.
