Trade mark pomp and show as DMK conference begins

Dec 15, 2007, 16:10 GMT

Chennai, Dec 15 (IANS) Elephants, horses and men dressed as medieval soldiers marked the beginning of the ruling DMK's first youth conference Saturday in Tamil Nadu amid growing speculation that Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi will anoint his son Stalin as the successor.

Stalin in an open jeep led a massive rally of party workers in the city of Tirunelveli after hoisting of an 84-year-old flag to commemorate 84 years of the DMK patriarch Karunanidhi.

The chief minister and his colleagues watched the rally from a special stage erected midway. The stage looked like the Thiruvarur temple car.

A light and sound show with nearly 550 actors participating was also held to show case the life and times of Karunanidhi.

Conference continues Sunday with the speeches by various ministers and the expected anointment. Karunanidhi's elder son Alagiri was conspicuous by his absence.

While the conference had all the pomp and show, it was hardship for the layman as the cops closed all roads leading to the town and with thousands of DMK men thronging the city and squeezing every possible housing space.

© 2007 Indo-Asian News Service