DMK is set to paint the town red and black on Monday, as its patriarch M Karunanidhi turns 89.
The octogenarian leader is set to pay his respects to Dravidian political ideologues at the party headquarters and then attend a public meeting in the evening. Sources in the party told Express that the event could prove to be the perfect spring board to launch not just a call to arms for the coming Lok Sabha elections, but also to paint a united face for a party dogged by persistent infighting.
Karunanidhi is scheduled to pay his respects to C N Annadurai at his memorial on the Marina Beach at 7 am and to Periyar at his memorial at Vepery at 7.15 am. But first, elder son Alagiri is expected to meet him at 6.30 am. He will then reach Anna Arivalayam at 9 am, to meet functionaries. He is scheduled attend a public meeting at 6 pm at the YMCA Grounds at Royapettah. According to party sources, frontline leaders of the party are expected to share the stage.
DMK functionaries are also organising a number of public meetings and charitable activities across the State through local units of the party. These activities include blood donation camps, handing out of assistance to poor and differently-abled people. “Our leader is of the view that all the hype surrounding infighting can damage our party’s prospects in the coming elections. Apart from using the stage to unite the party, we can also expect him to raise a call to arms for mobilisation for the polls,” a senior party functionary told Express.
True to this projection, Karunanidhi’s children — M K Stalin, M K Alagiri and K Kanimozhi are expected to take to the stage on the occasion of their father’s birthday. The DMK patriarch on Sunday also called on party cadre to co-operate for the growth of the party and put up a united face. “We should unite to fight against some powers,” he said at a book release function.