VELLORE: DMK vice-president Kanimozhi Karunanidhi hailed former CM and her father M Karunanidhi for championing the cause of not only the majority but also the marginalised sections such as lepers, the differently-abled and transgender persons.
She was speaking at the closing ceremony of Karunanidhi birth centenary function at Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) on Monday. The Thoothukudi MP said, “No one in the world is without flaws. Those who make mistakes are the ones who can correct them. Karunanidhi was an incomparable leader who forgave and accepted his friends, counting their good deeds over their mistakes.”
She also appealed the VIT Chancellor K Viswanathan to consider Thoothukudi while setting up the institute’s next campus. VIT has campuses in four locations across India. Presiding over the event, Viswanathan cited Karunanidhi as an example of how a common man can rise to become a leader and achieve great things.
“Despite his limited formal education, he elevated himself to the point of writing a text on Tholkappiyam through sheer effort. The people of Tamil Nadu should learn much from him,” Viswanathan said, adding, “Karunanidhi changed the tradition of governors hoisting the national flag on Independence Day and Republic Day, allowing chief ministers to do so instead.
His legacy includes opportunities for women in the police force, increased reservation for the downtrodden, and the Tiruvalluvar statue, which will stand for more than a thousand years.” Stressing on Karunanidhi’s commitment to federalism and state autonomy, Viswanathan said, “Even as he maintained good relations with the union government, he was a firm believer in federalism at the centre and autonomy of states.”
Ministers Duraimurugan and Gandhi, poet Vairamuthu, Vellore MLAs Nandhakumar, Karthikeyan, Arcot Eshwarappan and AmuluVijayan, mayor Sujatha Viswanathan, VIT vice-presidents Sankar Viswanathan and GV Selvam were also present at the event.