Chennai: Former chief minister of Tamil Nadu and DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi passed away here at 6.10 pm, Tuesday. He was 94. Click here for a timeline of the iconic leader's life.
The body was taken to the family home at Gopalapuram and thereafter to the CIT Colony residence of Kanimozhi, the DMK patriarch's daughter. At 4 am, Wednesday, the mortal remains will be shifted to Rajaji Hall for the public to pay homage. The final rites will be performed later in the day, said sources. Controversy erupts on Karuna's final resting place: click here to read more
The nonagenarian had been undergoing treatment for breathing difficulty caused by throat and lung infection at the Kauvery Hospital at Alwarpet here. He had undergone a tracheotomy to help him breathe freely.
On Tuesday afternoon, the hospital had issued a medical bulletin saying the ailing leader was in an 'extremely critical and unstable condition.'
Condoling Karunanidhi's death, prime minister Narendra Modi said he was deeply saddened. President Ram Nath Kovind and Kerala governor P Sathasivam has expressed condolences.
Tamil Nadu has declared official mourning for a week and Wednesday will be a public holiday. The Karnataka state road transport vehicles have stopped services to Tamil Nadu.
Kalaingar Karunanidhi
Karunanidhi, fondly known as Kalaingar (artist), was hospitalised on July 28 after his blood pressure dropped.
Muthuvel Karunanidhi was born to a backward Vellala family at Thirukkuvalai in Thanjavur district on June 3, 1924. He began his public life as a disciple of Periyar E V Ramasamy, and joined the DMK when C N Annadurai founded the political party in 1948.
Karunanidhi reached the Tamil Nadu Assembly as an MLA from Kulithalai in 1957. He became the DMK's treasurer in 1961, and later became the leader of the opposition in the state assembly.
Two years after Karunanidhi became a minister in 1967, he took over as the president of the DMK and chief minister of Tamil Nadu.
Kalaingar
Karunanidhi did not confine himself to the political sphere. He was a prominent poet and scriptwriter. A scholar in Tamil, he had exemplary oratory skills. He knew most Tamil classics, including Tirukural, by heart. Besides translating Maxim Gorky’s Mother into Tamil, he had also authored about 200 books.
He penned his first script for a movie, 'Rajakumari', when he was merely 20 years old. He had written the scripts for about 70 movies.
The late Padmavathi, Rajathi and Dayalu Ammal are his wives. His daughter Kanimozhi is also a writer. He had groomed his son M K Stalin as his political heir, but had been keeping a distance from another son, M K Azhagiri. M K Muthu, M K Tamizharas and M K Selvi are his other children.
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