Karunanidhi had ability to inspire loyalty and that loyalty never left him

In over 70 years of his political life, Karunanidhi contributed immensely to establishing social justice platform and encouraging Tamil language in the state. For the last 40 years, from 1975 onwards, there have been only three major players in the Tamil Nadu politics - Karunanidhi, MGR and Jayalalithaa. With Karunanidhi's death, there is a huge vacuum in the politics of the state and who is going to fill that vacuum is a big question. Though Mr Stalin is certainly pre-eminent among those who are there now, he himself admits that he has not reached the same height as his father. Only time will tell whether Stalin would be able to develop the party in the long term.

Whether you liked him or not, Karunanidhi was a force in Tamil Nadu politics. He had a never-say-die spirit. He was able to keep the party together even though they had long spells out of power. Between January 1976, when the DMK government was dismissed, and 1989, almost 13 years they were out of power and they lost three elections- in 1977, 1980 and 1984- but still he was able to keep the party together. He had the ability to inspire loyalty and that loyalty never left him. The ability he showed to keep the party cadre motivated is a lesson for any political leader in India.