“Indian Stalin”

Chief Minister of Tamilnadu and President of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party M.K.Stalin is one of the key players in modern India’s politics. He has got many supporters in South India states, and his unusual name attracts a lot of interest to him and his activities outside the country. The formation of the Indian Stalin as a political leader, his leadership style, priorities, achievements and problems are the focus of the writer’s attention. Compared to his autocratic and formidable Soviet namesake, the Tamilnadu Stalin is considered to be democratic and pragmatic. He is a proponent of the coalition alliance of parties that oppose to the dominance of Hindu nationalism, the conservative Bharatiya Janata Party with its leader Narendra Modi in the political arena of India. In the interview to The Week, India, in July, 2023, Stalin said that the BJP sought the constitutional review and the destruction of the Indian federation and the union of states to substitute it with the autocratic state with one language and one religion. The BJP leaders accused Stalin’s party of corruption and nepotism in response. During the parliamentary election campaign held in April-June 2024, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party under the leadership of Stalin won another victory in Tamilnadu with 22 out of 39 deputy mandates and thus took one more step to the status of the national party. Nevertheless, Stalin’s ambitions do not extend beyond Tamilnadu. He tries not to stand out and prefers to stay in the shadow of more venerable Indian political leaders.