MK Stalin is the working president for Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), which was founded by his late father Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi. He was named after the Soviet revolutionary leader and politician Joseph Stalin, who died four days after he was born.
MK Stalin is the third son to the prominent Dravidian leader and five-time Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, late Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi and his second wife Dayalu Ammal in Chennai. He is known for his revolutionary leadership and the voice of the common people of Tamil Nadu.
Stalin has three brothers - M.K Muthu, who is an actor, singer, and politician; MK Alagiri - a politician and MK Tamilarasu - a film producer. He also has two sisters, Selvi Geetha Kovilam and Kanimozhi, who are politicians. He is said to have had a very close relationship with his father. The leader also wrote a touching letter to his father when he passed away last year due to prolonged illness.
Stalin studied at Madras Christian College and Higher Secondary School and completed his graduation from Presidency College in Chennai. He has a degree in History. Stalin completed a pre-university Course at Vivekananda College. He was active in politics ever since his school days. He began his political journey when he was just 14. He campaigned for the 1967 elections.
The 65-year-old leader, who was born in a prestigious political family of Isai vellar community, had a fair share of struggle in politics and had faced a lot of controversies in his career.
He was incarcerated under Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) for protest against the Emergency imposed by then Prime Minister Indra Gandhi. He was arrested several times on various public issues since he was first arrested in 1975 under MISA. He was punished severely during the time.
According to reports, Stalin underwent a lot of struggle in 1975 when he was jailed under MISA. During his brutal beatdown, a DMK Party prisoner called Chittibabu lost his life trying to save him.
At the age of 20, in the year 1973 MK Stalin was elected to General Committee of DMK, which was led by his late father Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi. He had also served as the Secretary of Youth Wing of DMK, which has now become one of the largest political youth organisation in Tamil Nadu.
Stalin held the official post for the first time when he became the mayor of Chennai in 1996. He was the first politician to have been directly elected Mayor of the city and held office till 2001. He has served as the 37th Mayor of Chennai. He had also served as Minister of MuniciAdministrationtion and Rural Development from 2006 to 2011.
In 2001, he was once again elected as the Mayor of the city, and in the same year, he was also elected as MLA. However in 2002, then CM Jayalalithaa enacted the Tamil Nadu Municipal Laws (Amendment) Act, which doesn't allow a person to hold two elected posts in the government. This move was widely seen as a political vendetta aiming to remove him from the position as Mayor. But later Madras High Court struck down the law stating that legislative bodies were not "prevented" from making laws affecting the "substantive rights" of persons retrospectively.
In the same year, he was arrested for the Chennai Flyover Scam. Along with him, his father Karunanidhi, Murasoli Maran, TR Balu were also arrested in the same charge.
Like his father, Stalin is an atheist and doesn't follow any religion, but Right-wing leaders had often criticised him for his anti-Hindu views. The leaders claimed that Stalin lends his support to Christianity and Islam, for his participation in these religious festivals and neglecting Hindu customs.
Apart from being a politician, MK Stalin is also an actor. He has acted in notable Tamil films, like Ore Raththam (1987) and Makkal Aannyittal (1998) and in some TV serials such as Kurinji Malar and Suriya. Stalin had also produced a Tamil film Nambikkai Natchathram (1978).
On October 20, 1975, Stalin got married to Durga Stalin, who after marriage changed her name to Durga. The couple has a son Udhaynidhi Stalin and a daughter Senthamarai Stalin. Udhayanidhi is an actor and film producer while Senthamarai runs a school in Chennai.
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