No mood for birthday celebrations: Karunanidhi

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief M Karunanidhi, who is smarting under the assembly poll debacle and fallout of the 2G spectrum scam that has brought his family under the scanner, turned 88 on Friday, keeping his birthday celebrations on a low-key.

"Bad friendship will end in trouble," the DMK patriarch said in a message to party cadres without elaborating. "Cadres who have dedicated themselves to social and political renaissance should keep going without forgetting that bad friendship will end in trouble," Karunanidhi told reporters.

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The birthday celebrations, usually a platform for DMK to display its strength, was low-key ostensibly after the party-led front was routed in the polls and with Karunanidhi's daughter Kanimozhi and DMK's trusted member and former telecom minister A Raja lodged in Delhi's Tihar jail for their alleged role in the 2G scam.

Besides Karunanidhi's grand-nephew and Union Textiles Minister Dayanidhi Maran is also in the eye of a storm over alleged pay-offs by a Malaysian company which benefited from equity sold by Aircel. Maran has denied the charges. Karunanidhi, who was expected to leave for Delhi on Friday to meet Kanimozhi, has dropped the plan.

Karunanidhi had issued a statement Thursday night, saying he was "not in the frame of mind" to participate in any event other than the planned wreath laying ceremony at memorials of Anna (former Chief Minister Annadurai) and Periyar (rationalist leader E V Ramasamy) on his 88th birthday.

He had also requested his partymen "not to compel him to meet them" and tendered apologies as he will not be able to meet them both in his house and at the party headquarters.