The VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan, MP, on Saturday expressed the view that DMK president M K Stalin has “filled Kalaignar M Karunanidhi's place” in politics and was leading the DMK in a “right and successful way”. Speaking to reporters at DMK headquarters here after meeting Mr. Stalin and getting his blessings on his (Thirumavalavan's) 57th birthday, the Dalit leader said he welcomed the Tamil Nadu government's decision that students should not wear colour bands that denoted their respective caste in schools. On the draft new education policy, Thirumavalavan said if one of its key proposals to have public exams at the level of standards three, five and nine was implemented, it will lead to most students dropping out from schools.
Meanwhile, the DMK has convened a meeting of its party Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs' on August 21 evening in Chennai to discuss the latest political situation at the state and national level in the wake of the Jammu and Kashmir developments.
STALIN's DIG AT CM: Mr. Stalin, who later in the evening participated at a function here to celebrate former Chief Minister K Kamaraj's birth anniversary, took a dig at Chief Minister, Edappadi K Palaniswami, who had taunted the former's visit to rain-hit Nilgiris district as a 'publicity stunt'. “I don't need to seek publicity. I urge Thiru Edappadi K Palaniswami to come with me to any village and see for himself who is better known and recognised by the people,” Stalin quipped.