Chennai: It was an emotional meeting for DMK president M. Karunanidhi and his MP daughter Kanimozhi who called on him at his Gopalapuram residence here on Saturday to share her joy at being acquitted in the 2G case. The DMK patriarch broke down while holding her hand.
His expression said it all. He had been eagerly awaiting his daughter’s arrival ever since being informed Thursday that the CBI court had exonerated her and the rest in the case that had demolished the party’s public standing and his family’s well-preserved peace. And when she came before him now with the happy news herself, hiding her tears behind a broad smile, he took her hand and held it tight, unwilling to let it go.
And then he broke down, wept. Composing himself moments later, he asked Kani where Perasiriyar (DMK general secretary K. Anbazhagan) was. She pointed to the elder leader standing close by and when Karunanidhi took his hand, Anbazhagan responded by tenderly patting his cheeks. “It was so moving, those two nonagenarians sharing all those unburdened heavy thoughts without uttering a word”, Kani recalled later to this correspondent.
DMK patriarch M. Karunanidhi turns emotional when his MP daughter Kanimozhi came home freed from 2G cases. (Photo: DC)
When she arrived at Gopalapuram, she was accorded a rousing reception. She garlanded her father and obtained his blessings. Former Union minister A Raja followed suit. Party leaders jostled with each other to get closer to the happy group and be seen by the crowd of TV camera lenses.
Later, all the DMK leaders who were present on the occasion too greeted her. The street leading to Mr. Karunanidhi’s residence wore a festive look with the party members waving flags and organising rousing reception to Ms. Kanimozhi who arrived accompanied by former Union Minister A. Raja, who was also among the 19 exonerated by the CBI special court. Immediately upon her arrival, party’s general secretary K. Anbalagan greeted her with a garland and blessed her.
Hug from Stalin marks Kanimozhi’s homecoming:
The scene outside the Chennai airport almost turned into a DMK conclave when a large number of party members gathered to welcome Kanimozhi and Raja, earlier in the day. DMK working president M. K. Stalin welcomed his younger sister Kanimozhi at the airport after she landed from New Delhi. Stalin, along with party seniors and scores of supporters, was eagerly waiting outside. As soon as she saw her brother, Kanimozhi rushed and hugged him and sought his blessings. Both turned emotional and there were tears rolling over from their eyes. The family and their loyalists were all smiles as Mr. Stalin presented ‘golden coloured’ shawls to both Kanimozhi and Raja. The momentous occasion of their reunion was the hug initiated by Kanimozhi and reciprocated by Stalin who patted her. Stalin then hugged Raja too.
