Chennai: Chief minister C Joseph Vijay, former chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and the leader of the opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin were among the leaders who paid tribute to former chief minister and DMK founder C N Annadurai on his 117th birth anniversary on Tuesday.In a post on X, Vijay recalled Annadurai’s service to the people and his vision for Tamil Nadu. He said Annadurai had opened a new chapter in the state’s history by championing the rights of the poor and marginalised.Annadurai, who won widespread public admiration through his speeches and writing, had left an enduring mark on Tamil Nadu’s social and political history, Vijay said. He credited the former chief minister with naming the state Tamil Nadu, reflecting his love for the Tamil language, advocating greater autonomy for states and securing legal recognition for self-respect marriages. “On this day, we will take an oath to uphold his principles of ‘Duty, Dignity and Discipline’ and his message that ‘in the smile of the poor, we see god,’ Vijay said.Udhayanidhi, accompanied by DMK deputy general secretaries Kanimozhi and A Raja, senior leader K N Nehru and other party functionaries, paid floral tributes at Annadurai’s statue at Valluvar Kottam. He said the DMK would continue to follow the path laid down by the leader for the development of Tamil, Tamils and Tamil Nadu.Palaniswami paid tribute at Annadurai’s memorial and urged party cadres to pledge to free the people from the “delusion of reels politics” and restore “Annaism” to steer the state back toward development.Assembly Speaker J C D Prabhakar, ministers N Anand, Vanni Arasu and A Rajmohan and others paid floral tributes to Annadurai’s portrait on Anna Salai.
