Stalin pays tributes to MGR on eve of birth centenary

DMK Working President M K Stalin today paid tributes to AIADMK founder and late Chief Minister M G Ramachandran on the eve of his birth centenary and greeted those who had "genuine affection" towards him.
"I hail the memory of MGR (as Ramachandran is addressed) and extend my heartiest greetings to those who had genuine affection for him and never expected any favour from him," he said.
Stalin recalled the friendship between his father, DMK president M Karunanidhi and MGR despite being poles apart in politics, saying the AIADMK founder would not allow his partymen to address the DMK chief by his name and that he would insist that he be addressed as 'Kalaignar.'

Earlier DMK governments had named a medical university and film city after MGR, Stalin said in a statement.
He also recalled that MGR had presided over a DMK propaganda play in which he had acted and that the matinee idol had 'encouraged' him then.
MGR was originally a DMK member but parted ways with Karunanidhi following differences and founded AIADMK in 1972.