Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a day-long visit to Chennai, today called on DMK president M Karunanidhi and enquired about his health.
Modi is in the Tamil Nadu capital to attend the platinum jubilee function of a vernacular daily. After attending the 75th anniversary celebrations of Tamil newspaper Dina Thanthi, Modi called on Karunanidhi at his residence in Gopalapuram.
The Prime Minister was received by DMK Working President and Karunanidhi's son M.K. Stalin.
This is the first time Modi has met Karunanidhi at his residence.
The meeting between the two leaders lasted about 20 minutes. Modi sat next to Karunanidhi and held his hands.
Modi was accompanied by Governor Banwarilal Purohit, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of State for Shipping Pon Radhakrishnan and state BJP chief Tamilisai Soundararajan.
DMK leaders including Kanimozhi, who is the daughter of Karunanidhi, were also present.
After meeting Modi, Karunanidhi, seated on a wheelchair, appeared near the door and waved to DMK cadres assembled outside his house.
Karunanidhi fell ill in October, 2016 due to a drug-induced allergy. In December last, he was admitted to the Kauvery Hospital here twice.
The veteran leader was admitted to the hospital for "optimisation of nutrition and hydration" in the first week of December and later, due to a throat and lung infection. He had undergone tracheostomy, a procedure to optimise breathing.
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi had called on the DMK patriarch at his residence in December, 2016.
The nonagenarian leader had made his first public appearance on October 19 this year, the first since his illness, when he visited an exhibition here held to showcase the 75-year journey of DMK's mouthpiece, 'Murasoli'.
(With agencies)
