Chennai:
DMK Chief M Karunanidhi is celebrating his 89th birthday today. This time the grand old man of Indian politics has reasons to cheer - his daughter Kanimozhi who was behind bars in the 2G case on his birthday last year is out on bail and will be with him for the birthday bash.
However, his blue-eyed boy and former telecom minister A Raja will not be able to join the celebration in Chennai due to court restriction. But Raja has sent a written greeting to his leader which says, "I am unable to personally greet you on your 89th birthday, but my thoughts would be there to wish you."
The DMK's student wing has launched a website on which party workers could wish Mr Karunanidhi.
After paying respects at the memorial of his mentors Anna Durai and Periyaar, the DMK chief would meet cadre at the party headquarters and address a customary public meeting later in the evening.
The celebrations are expected to lift up sulking party cadres striving to galvanise themselves after the electoral drubbing at the hands of arch rival AIADMK in the April 2011 polls and Sankarankoil by-poll earlier this year.
The DMK patriarch is grappling with intra-party differences in the wake of the poll debacle even as a host of top leaders, former ministers Veerapandi S Arumugam and KN Nehru among others, are facing cases pertaining to graft and land-grabbing.