MPs skip House for Karunanidhi’s birthday,cash,livestock among gifts

After paying respect at the memorials of EV Periyar Ramasamy and C N Annadurai — the founders of Dravida Kazhagam and its political version DMK respectively — in the morning,Karunanidhi reached the party headquarters,Anna Arivalayam,where he was received by a sea of supporters,eagerly waiting to catch a glimpse of their leader.

In fact,in their keenness to be present at the functions to celebrate their party chief’s birthday,the party’s recently elected Lok Sabha members,barring T R Baalu,skipped the House proceedings to be at the party office in Chennai.

While senior party leaders called on Karunanidhi at the party office,his family members including elder son and central minister M K Azhagiri,younger son Stalin,grandnephew and central minister Dayanidhi Maran and daughter K Kanimozhi,who is an MP,were with him at his residences at Gopalapuram and CIT Colony.

If he observed his last birthday with restraint owing to the “sufferings of the Tamils in Sri Lanka”,the celebration was not muted by anything this time around,coming on the back of a spectacular victory in the recent general elections.

Ecstatic party cadres distributed sweets and burst crackers,and many were seen carrying gifts for the ‘Kalaignar’,the artiste as Karunanidhi is popularly known. Gifts ranging from bright flowers to silver swords,cash to livestock and fruits,and other produces were carried by leaders and cadres as their offering.

The authorities also joined the celebration by announcing one-gram gold coin for those who gave their children Tamil names (by Chennai Corporation) and free eye check-up for school students. As is the case here,senior bureaucrats and police officials were among those who patiently stood in line to greet the Chief Minister and hand over bouquets.

The day was not without a little drama. When Karunanidhi’s eldest son M K Muthu,one of the few family members who is not in the limelight now,arrived in the morning,the security personnel denied him entry as they did not recognise him. Soon,relatives and party members spoke to the personnel and ushered Muthu inside to meet his father.

Vice President Hameed Ansari,Prime Minister Manmohan Singh,Governor Surjit Singh Barnala,UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi also extended their wishes to Karunanidhi.