Prez Hails TN Legislature, Unveils Karuna Portrait

Muthuvel Karunanidhi, the five-time Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, a litterateur par excellence, a shrewd politician who headed a key political party for over five decades and leader responsible for initiating many social reforms, on Monday joined the list of great leaders whose portraits adorn the hall as the Tamil Nadu legislature marked its centenary.

- T Muruganandham

President Ram Nath Kovind unveiled his portrait in the presence of Governor Banwarilal Purohit and CM MK Stalin at a function held in the assembly. Karunanidhi’s portrait is the 16th in the hall. He is depicted standing, his right hand placed on the head of an elephant. Tiruvalluvar’s picture and an array of books are seen in the background. Karunanidhi’s portrait incidentally faces that of late CM J Jayalalithaa, his political foe.

Beginning his speech with a few sentences in Tamil, the President said he was glad to unveil the portrait on the “historic occasion” of commemorating the centenary of the Madras Legislative Council, as it was known then. Paying rich encomiums on both the TN legislature as well as Karunanidhi, the President hailed the landmark legislations that heralded many social reforms. “It would not be wrong to say that this legislature became the fountainhead of much progressive legislation which were replicated across the country to empower the weaker sections of the society. The Madras legislature had sown seeds of a fully representative democracy form of governance which were realised after independence,” he pointed out.

Hailing Karunanidhi’s multifaceted personality, the President said, “For him, his mother tongue was the object of worship. Tamil, of course, is one of the greatest and the oldest languages of humankind. The world takes pride in its rich heritage. But it was Karunanidhi who ensured that it was granted official recognition as a classical language.”

AIADMK gives the event a miss