Date:14/05/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/05/14/stories/2006051416210200.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

When all roads led to Nehru Indoor Stadium

Ramya Kannan

Cadres jumped barriers, scaled railings to watch the investiture ceremony The cadres were delighted that their leader had decided to give effect to the DMK manifesto promises in front of them

A SEA OF HUMANITY: A section of the crowd at the swearing-in ceremony held in Chennai on Saturday. — Photo: S.R. Raghunathan

CHENNAI: It would be neither an exaggeration nor a clich to say all roads led to the Nehru Indoor Stadium on Saturday morning, the swearing-in ceremony of Tamil Nadu's newly elected Chief Minister, M. Karunanidhi and his Council of Ministers.

For about two hours before and after the event, the roads were choked with hordes of party cadres stubbornly making their way towards the stadium by foot or in vehicles, eager to see their leader come back after a gap of five years. As a result, vehicles on Sydenham's Road moved at snail's pace and several of them were stuck even as the ceremony began at the stadium.

Inside the stadium, the scene was not much different as party cadres, most of them clad in the traditional DMK colours, jumped barriers and scaled railings to take prime positions or get closer to the stage to watch the investiture ceremony.

The seats soon filled up in the auditorium and at some point of time, there were probably as many standing as there were sitting. From time to time, the crowds surged, prompting announcements calling for people to be seated and keep away from the speakers mounted on stilts.

Five minutes to 11 a.m., the scheduled time of the investiture, Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi walked on to the stage, flanked by his Ministers and family members. At the sight of their leader, the cadres began cheering wildly. Any word or statement from Mr. Karunanidhi was enough to send them off into loud cheers that seemed to bring the roof down at the stadium.

Union Ministers including Pranab Mukerjee, P. Chidambaram, Jaipal Reddy, Praful Patel,

Anbumani Ramadoss, Mani Shanker Iyer, E.V.K.S. Elangovan, G.K. Vasan, P.C. Gupta, Subodh Kant Sahay, T.R. Baalu, A. Raja and Dayanidhi Maran felicitated Mr. Karunanidhi on the dais and congratulated his core team of ministers. Alliance leaders including Veerappa Moily, D. Pandian, D. Raja, R. Nallakannu, S. Ramadoss, M. Krishnasswamy and N. Varadarajan greeted the fresh team of ministers. Apart from politicians, several academics, bureaucrats, foreign diplomats and prominent personalities from the State, including the Prince of Arcot Nawab Abdul Ali, also conveyed their wishes on stage.

If the cheering was loud as he took his vow administered by Governor Surjit Singh Barnala, it just got louder when after the investiture ceremony, Chief Minister Karunanidhi decided to make three announcements. The cadres were delighted that their leader had decided to give effect to the DMK manifesto promises in front of them. The ovation that followed these announcements can best be described as thundering.