Date:12/05/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/05/12/stories/2006051217550800.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

DMK men celebrate in style

R.K. Radhakrishnan

At Arivalayam the festivities scaled a new high

JUBILATION: Party volunteers greeting DMK president M. Karunanidhi, who arrived at the party headquarters after the victory in Chennai on Thursday. — Photo: R. Ragu

CHENNAI: Gopalapuram fourth cross street was crowded with Dravida Munentra Kazhagam men, noisy TV crews and their OB vans and a few policemen hardly 15 minutes after the counting began. It did not matter that the counting of votes began past 8 a.m. in all 82 centres in the State. The celebrations in front of DMK president M. Karunanidhi's residence might have had no relation to the actual results that came in at that point.

As with the cadre of any party, those belonging to the DMK seemed to know. "Thalaivar is the next Chief Minister! Thalaivar is the next Chief Minister!," screamed one, with a red-and-black flag tied to his back. In just another 10 minutes both the party office and the residence of Mr. Karunanidhi were filled with more supporters like him, shouting slogans hailing the DMK chief. They danced, sang, shouted and hugged for the live cameras and waited for their `thalaivar' to emerge from his home.

In the meanwhile, any party leader coming to the DMK chief's house infected more enthusiasm to the partymen — many of them from the Chennai Corporation and the transport corporations. Mr. Karunanidhi, who was waiting for a clear picture to emerge, made a small modification to his normal routine of heading for the Murasoli office at around 9 a.m.

Once clear trends emerged, he came out of the house, flanked by Union Ministers A. Raja and Dayanidhi Maran. A host of party seniors — K. Anbazhagan, Arcot N. Veerasamy, M.K. Stalin, T.R. Baalu and Subbulakshmi Jagadeesan — followed him. The Union Ministers, along with a few of the personal security staff, had to take up the job of clearing the path to the car for their leader. At Arivalayam, the party headquarters, the arrival of the leader meant that the celebrations scaled a new high — crackers were burst, vehicles stopped and sweets distributed, police officers abused and dancers, who occupied the lawns in front of the party office, seemed never to tire, despite the sun blazing down. It was not easy to find standing space in the party headquarters, though anyone who wanted to dance or try his hand on a spare country drum was welcomed with great enthusiasm. Policemen took the brunt of the anger of the party cadre at Arivalayam to the extent that one officer who was leading a team had to retreat and come in through the back gate. A posse of assorted police men — Special Action Force, traffic cops, the personnel from law and order, the reserve force — seemed clueless of their role as an unmanageable crowd took all vantage points and waited for their leader to emerge.

Even the venue of the press conference was besieged by partymen waiting to have a glimpse of their leader from morning. After the press meet, even as hundreds of partymen surged ahead to meet their leader, police officers M. Chidambarasamy and Karuna Sagar took charge and tried to clear a path for the leader. A couple of minutes later, Mr. Karunanidhi's Black Cats took charge. And led him to his vehicle in no time. Of course, that was no reason to stop the celebrations though!