Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to late DMK chief M Karunanidhi at the Rajaji Hall here today and briefly met members of his family.

Clad in white, Modi laid a wreath at Karunanidhi’s feet and bowed before his mortal remains, paying his respect to the late leader. He later consoled the DMK chief’s family members, including his wife Rajathi and son M K Stalin.

Modi, who arrived here from New Delhi by a special flight earlier in the morning, was accompanied by Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and state unit leaders of the BJP, besides those of the DMK and the AIADMK.

The prime minister had a brief conversation with Rajathi. He exchanged a few words with Stalin, the DMK’s working president, gently patting him on the back in an apparent gesture of consoling him. While leaving, Modi spoke to Karunanidhi’s daughter Kanimozhi, an MP, as Stalin joined him. He in his message had described the DMK chief as a prolific thinker and a deep-rooted mass leader who stood for regional aspiration and national progress.

The 94-year-old Karunanidhi breathed his last at the Kauvery Hospital in Chennai at 6:10 PM yesterday after waging a grim battle for life for 11 days.

'Big loss'

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami and his deputy O Panneerselvam, Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker M Thambidurai, senior state ministers, AMMK leader and RK Nagar MLA TTV Dhinakaran, superstar Rajinikanth and his family, and actor Sivakarthikeyan among others paid homage to Karunanidhi.

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Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswamy, accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister O. Paneerselvam and other AIADMK ministers and cadres, pays homage to the late DMK leader M. Karunanidhi

 

Speaking to reporters, Palaniswami said Karunanidhi’s demise was a “big loss to Tamil Nadu”. He extended his sympathies to DMK working president and Leader of Opposition, MK Stalin, Karunanidhi’s family, and the DMK workers.

Palaniswami and Panneerselvam had a brief conversation with Stalin during which they apparently extended their sympathies to him over the loss.

Karunanidhi’s body was earlier brought to the stately Rajaji Hall from his CIT Nagar residence for the public to pay homage to the former chief minister. The Indian tricolour was draped over the body of Karunanidhi. His relatives, including children Stalin, MK Selvam and Kanimozhi, were seen standing beside the mortal remains of the Dravidian stalwart.

Grim-faced party leaders and MLAs were seen seated along the stairs of Rajaji Hall. Supporters and mourners started pouring in at Rajaji Hall early in the morning, with some of them raising slogans hailing their ‘thalaivar’ (leader).

Marina burial

The DMK had late last night moved the Madras High Court against the government’s refusal to its demand for space at the Marina for Karunanidhi citing certain court cases. The AIADMK government had offered to allot space at Sardar Patel Road, near the memorials of former chief ministers C Rajagopalachary and K Kamaraj.

A division bench of the court comprising Acting Chief Justice H G Ramesh and S S Sundar heard the case and adjourned in the wee hours today. When the court resumed the hearing on the DMK’s plea today, petitions cited by the government were dismissed as withdrawn. These petitions, challenged former Chief Minister late Jayalalithaa’s burial at the Marina.

The Madras High Court allowed the burial of DMK chief M Karunanidhi on the Marina Beach.