Ilayaraaja praises MK and Stalin

Coimbatore: Music maestro Ilayaraaja heaped praises on the late DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi and chief minister M K Stalin.
Addressing the gathering at a music concert organized in the city on Thursday night, Ilayaraja said Stalin has been continuing the legacy of his father Karunanidhi and delivering good governance.
“Kalaignar is like my father,’’ Ilayaraaja said recalling that it was Karunanidhi who gave him the title ‘Isaignani’. Ilayaraaja said he was named as Gnanadesikan but had to change it when he entered cinema. “Nobody knew my original name. I still wonder how Kalaignar picked up first part of my name, added ‘isai’ to it and christened me ‘Isaignani,’’’ he narrated.
A few days back, Ilayaraja came under severe criticism for comparing Prime Minister Narendra Modi with B R Ambedkar. While DMK chose not to react to the controversy and even asked DMK cadres not to criticize Ilayaraaja, pro–Tamil outfits, dalit organisations and a few Dravidian outfits attacked the maestro.
Ilayaraaja said that it was not because he was close to Karunanidhi that he liked him but for the service he rendered. “I have huge respect for him. All of you know the struggle he went through for the welfare of the masses,” he said.TNN