Veteran Indian politician Muthuvel Karunanidhi has died at the age of 94 due to age-related illnesses on Tuesday evening in India.
Popularly called Kalaingar, the Tamil word for an artist, for his contribution to cinema and literature, Mr Karunanidhi served as the chief minister of the southern state of Tamil Nadu five times between 1969 and 2011.
He played an important role in the state as well as federal politics for over five decades and served as the President of his party, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) for 50 years.
He started his career as a scriptwriter in Tamil films and rose to political prominence in the 1940s as part of the Dravidian movement - which challenged the supremacy of upper caste Brahmins.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to the veteran leader on Twitter saying, “We have lost a deep-rooted mass leader, prolific thinker, accomplished writer and a stalwart whose life was devoted to the welfare of the poor and the marginalised.”
Congress Party President Rahul Gandhi said, "In his passing, India has lost a great son."
Several other politicians, artists, followers took to Twitter to pay tribute to the late leader.
Image
"Controversy over his burial"
Tamil Nadu Government has declared a government holiday on August 8 as a mark of respect for late M Karunanidhi.
However, a controversy has erupted after the state government refused the permission to Karunanidhi’s family’s request for a burial place near Anna Samadhi where CN Annadurai MGR and Jayalalithaa were buried.
The matter has been taken to court and the hearing over a burial spot for Karunanidhi at Marina Beach has been adjourned till 8 am on Wednesday morning.
Share
