DMK Youth Wing conference at Salem

Chennai: In what is speculated to be a prelude to giving further elevations to State Minister for Sports Welfare, Udhayanidhi Stalin, in the government and in the party, the DMK headquarters, on Saturday, announced the second State Conference of its Youth Wing at Salem on December 17.

Thanking Chief Minister M K Stalin for the great opportunity given to them, the Youth Wing’s secretary, Udhayanidhi Stalin, said that the conference coming in the centenary year of M Karunanidhi and ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections would be a turning point in Indian politics.

To make it a historic event, leaving its imprints in Tamil Nadu’s history, the youth wing would start working on its organisation with immediate effect, Udhayanidhi Stalin said in a tweet.

The party announcement recalled the first conference of the youth wing, held on December 15, 2007, describing it as one that it had not just left its mark in history but also changed its course and said that the second meet was a continuation of that.

At the grassroots level of the youth wing the announcement was welcomed with anticipation as the grapevine had it that it was aimed at giving an extra boost to the political career of Udhyanidhi Stalin, who could be given additional responsibilities in the government and also elevated in the party hierarchy.

The youth wing founder, Stalin’s career had seen an uplift after the 2007 conference at Tirunelveli with his elevation as DMK treasurer coming a year later, on December 27, 2008, followed by his swearing in as the Deputy Chief Minister of the State on May 29, 2009.

Stalin had informally started the youth wing at a hair dressing salon in Gopalapuram, where he lived, in 1968 with some friends and then expanded it to formally launch it as a State-wide organization in 1983. HIs entry into electoral politics was in 1984 when he made his maiden bid to enter the Assembly from Thousand Lights constituency.

Udhayanidhi Stalin became the youth wing secretary in 2019 prior to his contesting the Assembly polls in 2021 from Chepauk-Thiruvellikeni constituency successfully. He was made the Minister for Sports Development and Youth Welfare on December 14, 2022.

In a recent hunger strike organized by the youth wing, along with the students wing and the medical wing, at all district headquarters demanding the scrapping of Neet for the State’s medical college aspirants, Udhayanidhi Stalin created a stir in Chennai by directly questioning Governor R N Ravi over his remarks on Neet.

He also drew the attention of many by challenging the Governor to contest the next elections from whichever constituency of his choice, win it and then confront the DMK. Otherwise, the Governor had no right to interfere in the affairs of the elected government, he said, drawing cheers from the crowd.

The December 17 conference in Salem is also likely to see such verbal fireworks on stage, besides the youth wing leaders and office-bearers asking for the entrusting of more responsibilities with their leader both in government and the party.

The DMK’s selection of Salem, too, as the venue has significance as it is the home district of AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami. It could also be a bid to storm the Kongu belt in the western region, which is actually a weak spot from the DMK now with both Palaniswami and also the BJP State president K Annamalai hailing from there.