KALAIGNAR M KARUNANIDHI'S STATUE UNVEILED BY SONIA GANDHI AMIDST OTHER DIGNITARIES

Former Tamil Nadu chief minister Kalaignar M Karunanidhi's statue was unveiled today at the DMK headquarters in Chennai. The event, organised by DMK, was attended by a host of dignitaries including Congress President Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Superstar Rajinikanth, Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu among others.

Mrs Gandhi, who was the chief guest for the event, unveiled the statue.

The function was a show of strength for DMK chief MK Stalin as well as the united opposition in the south of the country. Rajinikanth, the newest entrant to politics in Tamil Nadu, was seen sitting in the audience with another actor-turned-politician, Shatrughan Sinha.

The ties with the Congress and the DMK had been stable since 2004. The DMK, which been part of the UPA alliance, had broken off ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections - with the result that neither party had won even one of 40 seats from Tamil Nadu.

Rahul Gandhi had visited M Karunanidhi during his last illness and had even attended his funeral. DMK chief Stalin is expected to attend tomorrow's oath ceremonies for Congress chief ministers in the Hindi heartland.