Karunanidhi sworn in as TN CM for fifth time

Chennai, May 13: DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi, heading a 31-member Ministry, was today sworn in as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister for the record fifth time.

Governor Surjit Singh Baranala administered the oath of office and secrecy to Mr Karunanidhi and his Cabinet colleagues at a function at the Nehru Indoor Stadium here at 1100 hrs.

The massive crowd burst into cheers as the octogenarian leader took the oath.

Earlier, Mr Karunanidhi, accompanied by his Cabinet colleagues, paid respects to rationalist leader Periyar, his mentor C N Annadurai and Congress leader K Kamaraj by visiting their memorials. After Mr Karunanidhi took the oath, K Anbazhagan, Arcot N Veerasamy and M K Stalin followed suit as Finance, Electricity and Local Administration Ministers respectively.

Cheers rent the air in the stadium when the Governor invited Mr Stalin, who is Mr Karunanidhi's son, to assume office. After failing to find berths in the earlier DMK regimes in 1989 and 1996, Mr Stalin made his debut in the Ministry.

He was followed by Ko Si Mani, a former Minister hailing from Kumbakonam in Thanjavur district and Veerapandi Arumugam, the party's strong man in Salem. They assumed office as Cooperation and Agriculture Ministers respectively.

UNI