Congress calls Karunanidhi 'true representative of democracy', condoles demise

The Congress' tweet condoling the demise of five times Tamil Nadu Chief Minister said that Karunanidhi's "contributions to the nation shall never be forgotten".

New Delhi, Aug 7: The Congress party on Tuesday condoled the demise of former Tamil Nadu chief minister and DMK president M Karunanidhi, and described the late leader as a "true representative of democracy".

The Congress' tweet condoling the demise of five times Tamil Nadu Chief Minister said that Karunanidhi's "contributions to the nation shall never be forgotten".

Our heartfelt condolences on the passing of one of India's most dynamic leaders, M. Karunanidhi. He was a true representative of our democracy and worked tirelessly for the people of Tamil Nadu. His contributions to the nation shall never be forgotten. pic.twitter.com/gCunM2wr1D

— Congress (@INCIndia) August 7, 2018

The Congress party had a long-standing relationship with DMK chief Karunanidhi. Congress president Rahul Gandhi had visited Karunanidhi at Kauvery Hospital on July 31. After spending about 15 minutes at the hospital, the Congress president said his mother and predecessor Sonia Gandhi had sent her best wishes and regards to Karunanidhi and his family.

Today, Rahul expressed profound grief over the passing away of Karunanidhi and tweeted "India has lost a great son". "Loved by the Tamilian people, Kalaignar strode the stage of Tamil politics, like a colossus, for over 6 decades," he further wrote.

Loved by the Tamilian people, Kalaignar strode the stage of Tamil politics, like a colossus, for over 6 decades. In his passing, India has lost a great son. My condolences to his family as also to the millions of Indians who grieve for their beloved leader tonight.#Karunanidhi

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 7, 2018

Karunanidhi passed away at Chennai's Kauvery Hospital today at 6.10 pm. He was 94 years old.

DMK patriarch Karunanidhi was admitted to the Kauvery Hosptial on July 28 following a dip in his blood pressure. He was kept under constant observation in the ICU ever since. On July 29, his vitals seemed to fluctuated for sometime after which the hospital issued a bulletin saying that his condition had stabilised.

On August 6, the bulletin issued by the Kauvery Hospital said that the DMK chief's condition had declined. August 7th's medical bulletin said that his condition was '