India Today

RIP Kalaignar, a towering torchbearer

An epoch has ended in Dravidian politics. Will the inheritors of Muthuvel Karunanidhi's legacy find a way of carrying forward his brand of local-yet-national politics?

Even as life ebbed away, Muthuvel Karunanidhi served a rem­inder to the ranks of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), fighting the good fight is what is vital. While the diehards gathered outside the hospital shouted slogans asking him to rise one more time (Thalaiva ezunthu vaa!), the cadre across Tamil Nadu were waving the party's red and black flag furiously, protests were still on against the ruling All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagams (AIADMK) decision to double property taxes. Meanwhile, in another twist, the DMK had to approach the Madras High Court after the state government den­ied permission for the body to be interred close to the mausoleum of party founder C.N. Annadurai on Chennai's Marina Beach.

As a political activist, Karunanidhi stamped his charisma early on. His initiation into politics

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