DMK announces MK Stalin award from this year; SS Palanimanickam selected for maiden award

CHENNAI: The ruling DMK on Monday announced that a new award in the name of Chief Minister and party president M K Stalin would be distributed by the party from this year.

The award has been instituted on the lines of the Periyar, Anna, Kalaignar, Paavendar and Perasiriyar awards distributed every year during the annual Mupperum Vizha celebration to party functionaries in recognition of their contribution to the party and its ideology.

An official release issued by the party headquarters Monday said that the high command takes pride in distributing an award in the name of party president M K Stalin who enabled the party to capture power for the sixth time and leads the Dravidian Model government appreciated by the whole country.

As per the DMK headquarters release, former party MP ‘Thanjai’ S. S. Palanimanickam has been selected for the maiden M K Stalin award for 2024.

Former party president and five-time chief minister M Karunanidhi introduced the practice of distributing awards to party functionaries in recognition of their outstanding contribution to the party in the names of rationalist leader Thanthai Periyar, Arignar Anna and Kalaignar M Karunanidhi in 1985.

Additionally, awards were instituted in the names of revolutionary poet Bharathidasan and former party general secretary Perasiriyar K Anbazhagan in 2008 and 2018, respectively.