CHENNAI: The sloganeering crowd of DMK cadre was anxiously waiting for the moment outside the decorated residence of their leader at Gopalapuram. They cheered and cried out vociferously hailing him when one of India’s senior most leaders M Karunanidhi moved down, on a wheelchair, to the entrance to his house to accept the greetings of his followers on Sunday.
The excited partymen burst crackers and distributed sweets to those who gathered around the residence of the five-time Chief Minister. “After seeing the bustling cadre, he became emotional for a few seconds,” said a party leader.
DMK working president MK Stalin, Rajya Sabha member Kanimozhi, her mother Rajathi Ammal and a host of party leaders extended birthday greetings to him. “Let us wish him long life and cross hundred years. He has been a fulcrum of the Tamil Nadu politics, worked hard for the growth of the Tamils,” Stalin tweeted.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also conveyed their greetings to him.
Wishing him a long and healthy life, Modi tweeted, “A prolific writer, poet, thinker and orator, Karunanidhiji is one of India’s seniormost political leaders.”
“I pray for his good health and happiness, always,” Rahul Gandhi tweeted.
DMK had organised a grand public meeting at Tiruvarur on June 1, the home town of Karunanidhi. On his last birthday, a public meeting was held in Chennai in which top national leaders including Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury participated.
Fisheries minister D Jayakumar, replying to a question on the birthday of Karunanidhi, said that personally he wished the veteran leader a long and healthy life.
Social media abuzz
The social media was flooded with messages extending greetings to Karunanidhi, displaying rare photos and videos explaining his achievements as Chief Minister. The hashtag #HBDKalaignar95 was trending on Twitter and Facebook.
One caricature showed him taking the stance with a cricket bat with a caption reading- 95 not out. The DMK’s IT wing was working overtime to display posters highlighting achievements of the five-time CM.