CHENNAI: DMK cadre on Friday celebrated Local Administration Minister M K Stalin’s appointment as Deputy Chief Minister by bursting crackers and distributing sweets and IAS and IPS officials made a beeline for his Alwarpet residence.
Immediately after the announcement, Stalin rushed to the Chief Minister’s CIT Colony residence and got his blessings and returned to his residence where he was given a warm reception by the party cadre.
Assembly Speaker R Avudaiyappan, Union Minister Dayanidhi Maran and his brother Kalanidhi Maran, M K Thamizharasu, Union Ministers Jegatrakshagan and D Napolean, former Union Minister TR Baalu and allmost all State Ministers were among the early callers at Stalin’s residence.
However, Stalin’s elder brother, Union Minister MK Azhagiri, and his sister Kanimozhi were not to be seen.
As the time passed on, IPS officers including DGP K P Jain, City Police Commissioner K Rajendran and other senior officials in the police department, Home Secretary S Malathi, heads of various government departments at the Secretariat and top IAS officials came with bouquets and shawls.
Actors Chandrasekhar, evangelist Paul Dinakaran, Fr Esra Sargunam and Vice Chancellor of Anna University, P Mannar Jawahar, also called on Stalin.
In the evening, the scene shifted to DMK headquarters where Stalin met his father and party chief M Karunanidhi and was shown the government order of his appointment as Deputy Chief Minister.
In DMK headquarters also, the celebrations continued where the party functionaries vied with each other in greeting Stalin.