Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin celebrates his 70th birthday on Wednesday. Named after the famous former Soviet Union leader Joseph Stalin, he was born on March 1, 1953 to ex-chief minister and prominent Dravidian leader M Karunanidhi.
On Monday, he extended his gratitude to the people of Tamil Nadu for the advanced birthday wishes. In his card, he wrote, “I was moved when a young girl gave me a food packet and wished me ‘Advance Happy Birthday Grandpa’. The women and children gathered there were happy to wish me a happy birthday in advance. I was filled with excitement when I remember my birthday with people’s greetings”.
DMK has planned to celebrate its chief’s birthday with full pomp and show with events like gifting gold rings to new-borns, saplings to farmers, blood donation camps, hosting community baby shower events, assistance including providing notebooks to students, community lunch, eye care service, public meetings and sporting events. Party’s IT wing has initiated Selfie with Stalin where one can take a selfie with the CM virtually.
A public meeting is planned where Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Bihar deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, and ex-Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah are expected to be in attendance.
Actor-politician Kamal Haasan would be inaugurating a photo exhibition depicting Stalin’s journey in Chennai on Wednesday. Superstar actor Rajinikanth, on Tuesday, shared a special wish for Stalin. “Hello! On his 70th birthday, I wish my dear friend, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M.K. Stalin, a long life in good health and peace of mind to serve the people,” Rajinikanth said in the video.
Stalin started his political journey in his early 20s. When he was in school, he was part of the election campaign for his uncle Murasoli Maran and also created a DMK youth wing, DMK Gopalapuram Youth Wing, with his friends for his neighbourhood in Chennai. He was then elected to the DMK general council and went on to hold several posts in the party from being the member secretary of the youth wing, party treasurer and executive president. He was arrested during the Emergency in 1976.
Stalin contested his first legislative assembly election in 1984 from the Thousand Lights constituency in Chennai but lost. He won the same constituency in the next assembly election in 1989. Stalin was the first directly elected Mayor of Chennai, holding the position between 1996 and 2002. He was given the nickname of ‘Managara Thanthai’ (Father of the City).
Stalin became the Deputy Chief Minister in Tamil Nadu in 2009, the first to hold the position in the state. After his father’s demise in 2018, he led the party and secured 38 of Tamil Nadu’s 39 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections.
In 2021, Stalin became the chief minister of Tamil Nadu after his party won 133 of the total 234 assembly seats.
(with inputs from agencies)
