A script which Karuna would never have imagined in TN

CHENNAI: It is a script that M Karunanidhi would not have imagined days ago when political pundits wrote him off and predicted a big win for his arch rival and AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa in the Lok Sabha polls.

For the 85-year-old former script writer and orator, the performance of his party DMK and its ally Congress belies all projections.

The never-say-die Dravidian partriarch quietly watched all major political formations making overtures to Jayalalithaa but he had the last laugh. He had led DMK to victory from his hospital bed this time.

A powerful script writer and orator in Tamil, Muthuvel Karunanidhi began his public life working under social reformer E V Ramasamy Periyar and cast his lot with the DMK founder C N Annadurai, when he founded the party in 1948.

From then on he has never looked back, though his six-decade long political careeer was full of ups and downs.

Known for his shrewd administrative skills and political manouvering, Karunanidhi became Chief Minister for the first time on Feb 10, 1969, after the death of Annadurai.

He sided with the late MGR, who had considerable clout with DMK MLAs and it was this factor which tilted the balance in his favour against senior DMK leader V R Nedunchezhian, who could have become the Chief Minister after Annadurai.

Born in the backward Isai Vellala community in the obscure village of Thirukuvalai in Thanjavur district, to Muthuvel and Anjugam on June 3, 1924, Karunanidhi has his place under the sun to become one of the towering personalitities in Indian politics.