DMK leader and five-time Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi was laid to rest with full State honours on Wednesday. The 94-year-old Dravidian leader had breathed his last at 6.10 pm on Tuesday.
As a mark of respect to the departed leader the State came to a complete halt with shops and business establishments downing shutters and public transport remaining off the roads. That did not deter thousands of his followers to throng the city and pay last respects to their ‘Kalaignar’.
Senior political leaders, cutting across the political spectrum, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress President Rahul Gandhi, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, bid farewell to Karunanidhi at Rajaji Hall, where his mortal remains were kept. UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi could not attened due to ill health, but she sent message that Karunanidhi had been a ‘father figure’ to her, and his passing was as a ‘personal loss’.
Earlier in the day, the Madras High Court over-ruled the State government’s objections and allowed his burial at the Marina beach. He now rests alongside his mentor, DMK founder and former chief minister CN Annadurai, and his arch-rivals MG Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa.
People began to gather at Rajaji Hall early in the morning as the DMK leader’s body was brought to the premises at 5.40 am for the public to pay homage. The crowd increased as the day progressed and, at one time, became unmanageable. A minor stampede that ensued resulted in two people losing their life and over 40 people were injured.
The final procession began from Rajaji Hall at around 4 pm and wound its way to the Marina amidst a sea of people. The 2-km stretch took almost two hours to navigate.
Rahul Gandhi, former prime minister HD Deve Gowda and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu were present during the last rites, which began as the sun set. The coffin was lowered at 7 pm in the presence of grieving family members. This brought to an end a glorious political career that spanned over five decades impacting politcs not just at the State level but also nationally.