PM, CM, leaders pay tribute to Kamaraj on his birth anniversary

Chennai, Jul 15 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, and several leaders paid their tributes to the former Chief Minister and iconic leader K Kamaraj on his birth anniversary on Tuesday.

Leading the nation in paying rich tributes, the PM said Kamaraj was at the forefront of India's freedom struggle and provided invaluable leadership in the formative years of our journey after independence.

"His noble ideals and emphasis on social justice inspire us all greatly," Modi said in a post on the social media platform X.

Paying rich tributes to the leader, Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi said Kamaraj was a devout nationalist, a courageous freedom fighter and a visionary architect of modern Tamil Nadu.

"He made education universal by establishing schools in every village, launched the revolutionary mid-day meal scheme and fought tirelessly for the marginalised and downtrodden, advancing social justice," Ravi said in a post on X.

Stalin, too, paid tributes to the Congress leader on his 123rd birth anniversary, hailing him as a "true Tamilan who governed under the guidance of (rationalist leader) Periyar Ramasamy." "A great leader who boldly declared that talent does not come from birth but can be achieved by anyone given the opportunity," the Chief Minister said.

"On his birth anniversary, I pay my respects to he who lived as a simple leader among people. I launched the Ungaludan Stalin (Stalin with you) initiative (today) to reach out to the people," Stalin said on X.

AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, TNCC president K Selvaperunthagai, and BJP state chief Nainar Nagenthiran, too, paid their respects to Kamaraj. PTI JSP ROH