CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin, State ministers, and DMK functionaries on Saturday paid homage to the late former chief minister M Karunanidhi on his third death anniversary at his memorial on the Marina. The memorial was decorated with flowers and a slogan that the DMK would fulfil the dreams of the late leader for Tamil society.
In a statement here, Stalin called upon DMK cadre to take a vow to ensure that the DMK rule continued in Tamil Nadu forever. “Let us swear to nurture Tamils and Tamil Nadu on the lines of the Dravidian movement,” he added.
Meanwhile, the chief minister launched the scheme to plant one lakh saplings of Sthala Vruksham (sacred plant or tree) in memory of Karunanidhi, on lands attached to temples under the HR&CE Department. Stalin planted a sapling of Nagalinga tree to mark the start of the scheme.
At the Secretariat, the chief minister handed over welfare assistance to 15 beneficiaries under the Chief Minister in Your Constituency scheme. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, in his letter to the chief minister, said Karunanidhi’s monumental contributions shaped the modern Tamil Nadu.
“Today, as we fight against the attempts to impose regressive values, we draw strength from the valiant struggles of your father and the people’s movement he built around a progressive agenda” Rahul Gandhi said.