People waiting for M Karunanidhi's voice in Assembly: MK Stalin

CHENNAI: DMK working president M.K. Stalin on Friday recalled the functioning of party president M. Karunanidhi in the Assembly for the last six decades and said people are waiting to hear his voice in the Assembly again. Writing a letter to cadre in party organ Murasoli on the completion of 60th year of Karunanidhi's Assembly entry, he said Karunanidhi had won the Assembly elections 13 times and he is the only leader in the country who had never tasted defeat in Assembly election.

Recalling Karunanidhi's electoral victories, Stalin said Karunanidhi entered the Assembly on April 1, 1957, after winning from Kulithalai.  Later, he was elected from Thanjavur in 1962. The DMK president was elected from Saidapet two times in 1967 and 1971 and again from Anna Nagar in 1977 and 1980. Karunanidhi had won from Harbour in 1989 and  1991, Stalin said and added that the DMK president won from Chepauk three times -1996, 2001 and 2006. Karunanidhi had won from Tiruvarur in 2011 and 2016, Stalin noted.

The DMK president functioned effectively as an MLA both as a ruling party and Opposition member. When he was in the Opposition, he used to bring to notice the problems of people and when ruling the country he had implemented schemes for people welfare even before making any demand. When he was the PWD and transport minister, bus transport was nationalised.

After he became the Chief Minister, Karunanidhi formed the slum clearance board, abolished hand-pulled rickshaw, set up Samathuvapuram, besides enacting a law to provide property rights for women. He provided quota for Muslims and sub quota for Arunthathiyars, gave PDS rice at Rs, one per kilogram and waived the crop loans of farmers. Though, he is unable to take part in the Assembly proceedings due to illness, the unique way in which he functioned is guiding the DMK MLAs, he said.