Chennai: She has been handling the DMDK affairs, directly and entirely, for the last several months since husband ‘Captain’ Vijayakanth took ill, so it came as a no surprise when Premalatha got herself ‘elected unanimously’ as the party treasurer by its district secretaries on Friday.
A party release signed by Vijayakanth said a resolution electing Premalatha as treasurer was adopted unanimously at a high-level committee meeting chaired by him at the DMDK headquarters here.
The committee also elected Dr V. Elangovan as the party presidium chairman and ‘Azhagapuram’ R. Mohanraj as the propaganda secretary.
With Vijayakanth requiring hospitalisation repeatedly since March last year-including treatment in Singapore and America-Premalatha has been actively involved in party affairs. In fact, she was the star campaigner for the party during the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. Yet, her formal coronation as the party’s treasurer raised some eyebrows.
Speaking to reporters soon after her election as treasurer, Premalatha dismissed suggestions that she got the post by virtue of being the party chief's wife. She did not hide her displeasure when a journalist raised the question, retorting: "I do not have to answer you because it is up to the cadres to react when Captain has now made me the treasurer after my serving the party for the last 14 years. And as far as I know Captain has not said anywhere that members of his family would not come into politics".
Premalatha also revealed that Vijayakanth would soon be travelling abroad for medical treatment. Premalatha's brother L. K. Sudheesh as the DMDK's youth wing secretary is another power centre and represents the party at all important meetings with alliance parties and their senior leaders.
Vijayakanth's son Vijay Prabhakaran has recently hinted at plunging into DMDK politics. Though he does not hold any position in the party, he was the main performer at a DMDK event on October 6 at Anakaputhur near Kancheepuram, presiding over the function and distributing freebies to supporters.
Vijayakanth launched the DMDK in September 2005 and made a huge impression in the Tamil Nadu political arena as his fledgling party got 10 per cent vote share in the Assembly elections held barely eight months later.
However, his inconsistent politics and indifferent health cost Captain dearly as the DMDK suffered humiliating defeat in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and the 2016 Assembly elections.
