CHENNAI : Leaders of various political parties, including the BJP, the Congress and the Left, recalled the contributions of the late DMK president and five-time Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M Karunanidhi, to social development, social justice, reservation for the underprivileged, federalism, art and literature.Addressing a meeting commemorating the DMK patriarch, former Prime Minister Deve Gowda and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar recalled Karunanidhi’s fight for social justice and reservation for the underprivileged people. They also recalled the role he played in implementing the recommendations of the Mandal Commission.
Gowda said, “I am able to recall how he stood by the then Prime Minister, VP Singh, the custodian of social justice, in order to implement the recommendations of the Mandal Commission which provides for 27 per cent reservation to other backward classes.” Recalling how Karunanidhi was instrumental in convincing him to take up the job of prime ministership after he showed reluctance, Gowda said that for nearly 20 years, he stood by national leaders to provide stability to the national politics.
Nitish Kumar said, “He is a crusader of social justice and equality. He played a key role in implementing the Mandal Commission report, securing reservation for the socially and economically backward sections during the prime ministership of VP Singh.” Communist Party of India (CPI) general secretary Sudhakar Reddy said, “Karunanidhi is undoubtedly an extraordinary leader and pioneered social welfare programmes.
“He was born to change the destiny and lives of the people,” said Praful Patel, former Union Minister and leader of the Nationalist Congress Party.Aam Aadmi Party leader Somnath Bharti said that the credit went to Karunanidhi for fighting for federalism and state autonomy and supported the plea for awarding the late leader Bharat Ratna.The leaders recalled how Karunanidhi used the mass media, cinema, to carry forward his social and ideological goals. “He created consciousness among the people through his writings for films,” said CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury.
Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad described Karunanidhis as “a great social reformer of the 20th and 21st centuries.” Recalling his long personal relations with the late leader, he said that Karunanidhi was a true democrat and so, only he could oppose the Emergency which the late PM, Indra Gandhi, had regretted later. The speakers at the event called upon DMK president M K Stalin to carry forward the legacies of his father and the Dravidian stalwarts ‘Periyar’ EV Ramasamy and CN Annadurai.Sitaram Yechury went to the extent of hailing Stalin as the future Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. IUML national president KM Kader Mohideen, TDP senior leader YS Chowdary and CPI national secretary D Raja also addressed the meeting.