'With active medical support, his vital signs are normalising,' the medical bulletin said. 'He continues to be closely monitored and treated by the panel of expert doctors.' The party patriarch, who is always seen in public wearing his trademark dark glasses, has not made any public appearances for over a year. A powerful orator, Mr Karunanidhi has dominated Tamil Nadu politics for decades, shaping the DMK and acting as one of the key drivers of the state's Dravidian movement, which espouses rationalism and atheism. He has been elected to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly 13 times from 1957 to 2016 and is a five-time chief minister. He has been party president for half a century and also made an impact on federal politics through strategic tie-ups with the two main national parties, the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party, on separate occasions.