Never an MP, Karunanidhi gets a rare honour as Parliament adjourns as mark of respect

New Delhi, Aug 8: In a rare gesture, both Houses of Parliament were adjourned for the day today after paying obituary to DMK chief M Karunanidhi who passed away yesterday. Notably, a five-time Chief Minister and a 13-time lawmaker, Karunanidhi had never been a member of parliament.

As soon as the Lok Sabha met for the day, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan informed members of the demise of Karunnidhi (94).

Describing him as a "visionary" and a "leader of the masses", she said he spread his political philosophy through screen writing and produced some of the best hits in Tamil cinema. After observing a moment of silence in his memory, Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned for the day.

In Rajya Sabha, Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu, reading out an obituary reference, described Karunanidhi as a multifaceted personality and a gritty figure who overcame difficulties.

Beginning his career as a screen play writer, Karunanidhi used Tamil cinema to propagate Dravadian ideology and contributed to Tamil culture, he said.

While it is a convention for parliament to adjourn to pay respects to departed members -- present and former -- the honour had never been extended to a non-member before.