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From women's equality to transgender rights, Karunanidhi's policies show he was a leader well ahead of his times

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M Karunanidhi’s death on August 7 marked the end of an era for Tamil Nadu politics. Jayalalithaa’s death in 2016 marked the death one half of the two biggest political names in the state for the past 20-25 years. Now, with the DMK president breathing his last on Tuesday, it truly is an end of an era. However, unlike Jayalalithaa, Karunanidhi has ensured that the DMK can go on without him after his time. Follow live updates here.

The Tamil Nadu government has declared one week mourning and public holiday on Wednesday to mark the demise of former Chief Minister and DMK president.

Karunanidhi entered politics at the age of 14, where he participated in anti-Hindi agitations where he founded a student organisation called Tamil Nadu Tamil Manavar Mandram, which was the first student wing of the Dravidan Movement. Here he started a newspaper for its members, which grew into Murasoli, the DMK party's official newspaper.

In his eight decades in politics, five decades of which he spent serving as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister during various terms, Karunanidhi has been responsible in implementing various path-breaking schemes that indicated he was well ahead of his times

Self-respect marriages

One of his earliest moves was to give legal and political backing for self-respect marriages. He also did away with the necessity to follow Hindu rituals for a wedding and passed a law to state that a simple registration would do for sealing a marriage.

A pioneer of transgender rights

In 2009, when Karunanidhi was chief minister, the Tamil Nadu government had already established the country’s first-ever Transgender Persons Welfare Board. Six years later, the Supreme Court of Indiadeclared that transgender persons can identify as male, female, or transgender, and self-determination of gender was a right of all persons.

Renaming districts to stop to end caste clashes

"When Karunanidhi assumed office of Chief Minister for the third time in 1996, clashes between Thevars and Pallars had intensified in south Tamil Nadu. The government led by Karunanidhi decided to rename districts and state transport corporations with neutral names, a move that actually lightened the clashes," Newsminute reported on Wednesday.

Making special welfare boards for the downtrodden 

In 2006, the DMK government established 30 special welfare boards to advocate for the rights of vulnerable and marginalised persons.  These included persons with disabilities, transgender persons, domestic workers, practitioners of traditional medicine, auto rickshaw pullers and taxi drivers, folk artistes, hairdressers, weavers and artisans, washermen of the Kudurai-Vannar communities, and construction workers.  

Forming welfare boards for persons with disabilities

In 2006, a large public meeting of activists and persons with disabilities was held in Cuddalore. "At the end of the meeting-protest, representatives met Kanimozhi. Very soon, the Karunanidhi-led government announced the setting up of a welfare board for persons with disabilities," the Newsminute article added.

IT hubs

Karunanidhi not only set up Information Technology hubs in Chennai, but also focused on setting up IT hubs in Tier II and Tier III cities in Tamil Nadu, which ensured more jobs.

Organising health camps

The DMK government, under Karunanidhi's leadership, organised various camps in 2006. The ‘Nalamana Tamizhagam’ scheme, rolled out during Karunanidhi’s final term as  Chief Minister, The Hindu reported. "It sought to take the message of prevention of non-communicable diseases to the people," the report added.

Setting up the slum clearance board

During his first term in office in 1969, Karunanidhi set up the slum clearance board. The Beggar Rehabilitation Scheme was launched to provide life and livelihood to those who had taken to the streets to beg.  

 

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