M K Stalin dons a new role for youngsters

Instead, there were thousands of college students; a good number of them wearing uniforms.

Even the usual sloganeers who chant “thalapathi and Kalaignar” tirelessly at the time of their leader’s arrival and red shirt-black trouser clad self-styled party bouncers popularly called thondar padai (an army of cadres) were also missing.

As if there was some dearth in the surprise quotient, the usual cotton white shirt and karai veshti (dhoti with the border of party flag colour) clad DMK treasurer M.K. Stalin entered the packed conclave venue wearing an elegant light blue shirt (except that it was rolled up till his elbow), navy blue trouser and shiny black shoes that made him look like some overworked management guru visiting an institution to ‘enlighten’ students.

Unlike party rallies when he would arrive behind the stage and emerge on the dais and wave hands at his cadres, Stalin stuck to the script penned by his PR managers who had him disembark the vehicle ahead of the marquee and walk through the entire length of the gathering, shaking hands with students all the way up to the dais.

After lending ear to 10 students who proposed ideas to steer the state in the course of development, Stalin offered an even bigger surprise when he skipped the tongue-lashing at the ruling AIADMK and stuck to ‘educating’ students on the virtues of politics and developing the state. DMK has good reason to celebrate considering that the Tiruvannamalai conclave brought 15,000 apolitical eligible-to-vote students to hear their party treasurer.

“Friday’s meeting was not organised by the party. It is purely a college function. How can we have party flags and festoons in a college function? We do no engage in expensive political publicity like they (AIADMK) do. We have been meeting youths among others regularly without much fanfare. We will continue to do that,” Stalin told.

A senior leader in the party pecking order who did not wish to be named said that similar youth outreach programmes would be held when Stalin undertakes the statewide political tour starting later this month.

Admitting that young voters, who account for nearly a fourth of the total voters, would be crucial in 2016, a party senior close to Stalin said, “The college conclave was grand success. Around 15,000 students without any political affiliation had turned up. We have planned similar meetings for future, but they will be political one’s. Thalapathi will be meeting techies, engineering and arts colleges students, fishermen, weaver and farmers, all separately during the statewide tour which starts in the last week of September,” another DMK senior explained.