By IANS
Chennai : M.K. Stalin, son of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi and the local administration minister, marked his birthday Saturday with cautious political gestures.
The 56-year-old Stalin started the day by visiting his father Karunanidhi and mother Dayalu Ammal at the Gopalapuram house, prostrating at their feet and taking their blessings.
He then met union ministers, coalition party leaders, DMK cadre and other well-wishers at his residence in south Chennai.
Urging the DMK workers not to celebrate the birthday with “fanfare”, Stalin told the party’s youth wing to “spend the money for good cause, following the footsteps of Chief Minister Kalaignar”.
He suggested that the cadre can “give free food to students, donate blood, provide free food to orphanages and renew the DMK party flags and hoist them”.
“Politics seems to have become a part-time business for some who have floated political parties. The people should be aware of such politicians, who have emerged overnight and floated parties with selfish motives. Their aim is to become chief minister without making any sacrifice,” he added.
The low-key ceremonies to mark Stalin’s birthday are being seen as a precautionary measure, after Karunanidhi dished out a reprimand to the party workers who gave Stalin a thumping welcome at Chennai airport when he returned from Japan two weeks ago.
Indirectly mentioning the chaos the party workers created at the airport, Karunanidhi cautioned the activists in Murasoli, the party organ: “Extravagant publicity blitz would irritate the public and dent the party’s image”.
Stalin went to Japan to persuade the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) to fund a number of projects in Tamil Nadu.
Karunanidhi’s warning notwithstanding, the Chennai Corp, led by Mayor M. Subramanian, passed a resolution commending Stalin for the JBIC loan of Rs.9.7 billion ($242.4 million) the city got from the JBIC for the metro rail project.
DMK south Chennai district secretary J. Anbazhagan confirmed “floodlight cricket, volleyball, football and kabadi tournaments to mark Stalin’s birthday”.
“The winner of the meet will get a prize money of Rs.100,000 and the M.K. Stalin Trophy. The runner-up will get Rs.50,000 as cash prize,” he added.
He said the party had received 580 entries for the Twenty20 cricket series in Stalin’s honour while other events had attracted over 200 entries.
On the eve of the birthday celebrations, Stalin’s wife Durga and son M.K.S. Udayanidhi opened a clinic at a dental college in Thiruvallur, north of Chennai.
Udayanidhi, the 30-year-old businessman, grabbed the opportunity to announce that he was also entering politics.
“I am new to politics. I have begun learning from elders in the party,” he said.
“I have been a trustee of the DMK party organ Murasoli for two years. I represent my father at party functions when he is away. I want to contribute to the DMK in my own way,” he added.
Udayanidhi’s remarks comes after Karunanidhi’s elder son M.K. Azhagiri inducted his son M.K.A. Dayanidhi into DMK on his birthday Jan 30.
If Dayanidhi had masterminded his father’s birthday celebrations, Udayanidhi opened a website, dedicated to Stalin, on his birthday.
The website, www.mkstalin.net, party sources said, contains the minister’s family details and lists his public service.