PM meets Karunanidhi; enquires about his health

Team Udayavani, Nov 6, 2017, 5:30 PM IST

Chennai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today met ailing DMK supremo M Karunanidhi, a former Tamil Nadu chief minister, here and enquired about his health.

This was the first meeting between the two leaders after Modi became the prime minister in May 2014. The meeting lasted about 20 minutes.

Modi sat next to wheelchair-bound Karunanidhi, 93, and held his hands.

“Met former Tamil Nadu CM, Thiru M Karunanidhi and enquired about his health.@kalaignar89,” Modi wrote on his official Twitter page.

The prime minister, who arrived in the city to take part in a couple of functions, visited the Gopalapuram residence of Karunanidhi.

Karunanidhi’s son M K Stalin, who is DMK Working President, welcomed Modi at the gate of the residence and honoured him with a red shawl.

Stalin, also Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, in his official twitter page said that Modi during the meeting wished Karunanidhi a “speedy and full recovery.” 

“Hon’ble PM @narendramodi made a courtesy call on Dr @kalaignar89…The PM enquired about his health & wished him a speedy & full recovery,” Stalin wrote.

During his visit, Modi was accompanied by state Governor Banwarilal Purohit, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of State for Shipping Pon Radhakrishnan and state BJP chief Tamilisai Soundararajan.

Soundarrajan told reporters that the prime minister invited Karunanidhi to visit Delhi.

DMK leaders, including Kanimozhi, who is the daughter of Karunanidhi and a Rajya Sabha MP, were among those present during the meeting.

Later, Karunanidhi made a brief appearance outside and waved at his supporters who cheered him.

Karunanidhi, who was taken ill in October 2016 due to a drug-induced allergy, was twice admitted to a private hospital in December last.

He has been since confined to his house, but made one rare appearance on October 19 this year when he visited an exhibition here held to showcase the 75-year journey of DMK’s mouthpiece, ‘Murasoli.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi had called on the nonagenarian DMK patriarch at his residence in December, 2016.