Veteran politician Vaiko’s son Durai Vaiyapuri has been appointed as the headquarters secretary of the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK), the party that Vaiko founded decades ago.
“I could’ve directly appointed him, but I conducted secret voting to make it a democratic process. He got 104 votes out of 106 — this is not dynasty politics, the cadres insisted,” Vaiko, who is the MDMK General Secretary, said to the media on Wednesday, October 20.
Previously, the 77-year-old politician had strongly maintained that he did not want his son to enter politics. Vaiko had also mentioned that he suffered immensely during his political tenure, and that he wanted the suffering to end with him.
He also included that it is up to the party leaders and workers of the MDMK to decide his son’s future in the party. The party secretaries of the MDMK had initially met at the headquarters prior to declaring Durai Vaiyapuri as headquarters secretary.
“It is high time Durai Vaiko is appointed since Vaiko’s health can affect his functioning as a full-time party head,” the district in-charge added.
Speaking to reporters earlier this month, Vaiko had said that he had struggled for 56 years in politics. “I have languished for five-and-a-half years in prison. I have destroyed life to some extent…my son should not suffer like this,” he had said.
The MDMK was founded by Vaiko in 1994, after he broke away from DMK. MDMK was founded as an anti-dynasty party, as Vaiko had objected to DMK supremo M Karunanidhi’s efforts to promote his son MK Stalin as his political heir and successor.
With Vaiko’s son getting an important title within the party, concerns of dynasty politics in an anti-dynast party did the rounds. However, according to reports, the decision was not Vaiko’s but that of the party secretaries of MDMK.
A TNIE report quoted one of the party leaders who said that “nearly 25 district party units had adopted a resolution to urge Vaiko (General Secretary) to offer an important post to Durai so that he can take the party to new heights.”
