PM Modi pays tributes to Kamaraj on birth anniversary

Kamraj worked hard to alleviate poverty and human suffering, the prime minister said

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday paid homage to Congress stalwart K Kamaraj on his birth anniversary, saying he made an indelible contribution to India's freedom struggle and also made a mark as a compassionate administrator.

A former chief minister of erstwhile Madras State, now Tamil Nadu, Kamaraj was a key organisational leader of the Congress and played a crucial role in the elevation of first Lal Bahadur Shastri and then Indira Gandhi to the post of Prime Minister.

Differences between the old guards led by him and Gandhi later led to a split in the party. Born in 1903, Kamaraj died in 1975.

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"Remembering Shri K. Kamaraj Ji on his birth anniversary. He made an indelible contribution to India's freedom struggle and made a mark as a compassionate administrator," Modi said in a tweet.

"He (Kamraj) worked hard to alleviate poverty and human suffering. He also focused on improving health and education," the prime minister said.