Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami on Tuesday paid rich tributes to the late DMK President M Karunanidhi, saying the deceased leader left his "imprint" in national politics.
His demise was a "big loss to Tamil Nadu," he said.
Expressing grief over the passing away of the Dravidian veteran, Palaniswami extended his sympathies to the leader's family, especially his son and DMK Working President M K Stalin, also the state Leader of the Opposition, and to DMK cadres.
"Former Chief Minister Karunanidhi's demise is a big loss to Tamil Nadu," Palaniswami said in a statement.
Tracing Karunanidhi's 50 year-journey as DMK chief, he said the former Chief Minister was one of the senior most political leaders of the country.
"I was grieved to know that Mr M Karunanidhi, a present MLA, died at a private hospital," he said.
Karunanidhi represented his native Tiruvarur Assembly segment in the current assembly.
The Chief Minister recalled that Karunanidhi took to literary activity as a school student and involved himself in various social movements at the age of 14.
The 94-year-old five-time Tamil Nadu chief minister and DMK President M Karunanidhi died on Tuesday. The veteran politician is survived by his sons, former union minister MK Alagiri, DMK working president MK Stalin, and his daughter, Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi. The DMK patriarch was admitted to the hospital on July 28 after he contracted urinary tract infection and developed a high fever.
Karunanidhi, one of the foremost Dravidian politicians in modern times, died in Chennai on Tuesday, after waging a grim battle for life, the hospital where he was admitted for the last 11 days said.
"With deep anguish we announce the demise of our beloved Kalaignar M Karunanidhi on 07.08.2018 at 6.10 pm. Despite the best possible efforts by our team of doctors and nurses to resuscitate him, he failed to respond. We profoundly mourn the loss of one of the tallest leaders of India and we share the grief of family members and fellow Tamilians worldwide," a press release by Dr Aravindan Selvaraj, Executive Director of Kauvery Hospital, said.
A five-term Chief Minister and a 13-time MLA since 1957, he never lost an election he contested. Days before his death, he completed 49 years as DMK president.
And in a career spanning 80 years, he wore different hats a student leader, scriptwriter, orator and politician.
Karunanidhi, born Dakshinamurthy, changed his name to Karunanidhi as it is a pure Tamil name without any Brahminical tinge. Beginning his political career as a 14-year-old activist in the anti-Hindi agitation of the late 1930s, he quickly became the voice of the surging Dravidian movement led by 'Periyar' EV Ramasami, CN Annadurai 'Anna', and others.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu government has declared a week-long mourning over the death of DMK patriarch. The state government has declared a public holiday on Wednesday.
(With PTI inputs)
