CHENNAI: The ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) is planning a show of strength of opposition parties during the year-long events to mark the birth centenary of veteran party leader and former chief minister M Karunanidhi, people familiar with the matter said on Sunday.
One of the major events is likely to be a gathering of Opposition leaders in Tamil Nadu, a senior DMK leader familiar with the matter said. “We will be inviting party leaders from across India… But, we are yet to decide who we will be inviting. It will be a gala event like one of our major conferences,” the leader added.
The party is also considering inviting Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar to inaugurate “Kalaignar Kottam”, a memorial built at Karunanidhi’s hometown in Tiruvarur, Tamil Nadu, the leader said.
The decisions were among several resolutions passed during a high-level DMK committee meeting, led by party head and Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin, on Sunday to celebrate Karunanidhi’s 100th birth anniversary for a year, starting on June 3.
The DMK has also formed a committee comprising senior leaders Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, Dayanidhi Maran, TKS Elangovan, A Raja, R S Bharathi and Trichy Siva to advise the party on the year-long celebrations.
On June 3, the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance will kickstart the celebrations in Chennai. “The meeting resolves to celebrate the centenary of Kalaignar (what Karunanidhi was popularly known as), the architect who built modern Tamil Nadu in an effective manner throughout the year,” the party said in a statement.
“Every district unit should conduct centenary celebrations until June 2024, highlighting the achievements of Kalaignar.”
The DMK earlier held a mega show of strength during Stalin’s birthday celebrations on March 1, with several opposition party leaders, including the Congress, Samajwadi Party and National Conference sharing the stage with Stalin.
