Chennai: DMK working president MK Stalin on Wednesday broke down and the party cadre sent up a big roar on hearing that the Madras High Court has allowed M Karunanidhi, DMK president for nearly 50 years and five-time Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, to be buried at the Marina beach.
Stalin, who was standing by his father’s mortal remains, got teary-eyed and joined his hands thanking everybody present. He was being consoled by his associates and party leaders. At one moment as Stalin seemed overcome with emotion, party leader A Raja put his arms around him. Kanimozhi too was seen consoling her brother. The cadre shouted in relief.
The E Palaniswami government had denied permission for the Kalaignar, or artist as Karunanidhi was known, to be buried at the iconic mausoleum complex in Marina, saying he wasn’t a sitting CM unlike Annadurai, MG Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa who were laid to rest there.
The AIADMK government, citing legal hurdles, offered a two-acre site at Gandhi Mandapam on Sardar Patel Road, opposite Anna University. Former Chief Ministers C Rajagopalachari, K Kamaraj and Bhaktavatsalam have their memorials at the Gandhi Mandapam.
P Wilson, who appeared for the DMK at the special hearing this morning, said Karunanidhi should be accorded burial at Marina since he was a leader of the Dravidian movement. “Kamarajar and Gandhi Mandapam are in Adyar and not in Marina because ideologies of those leaders were different from leaders of Dravidian movement.”
Wilson also urged that a Marina burial for the Kalaignar was the popular wish, denying which might create a law and order situation.
The court, finally, settled the matter in DMK’s favour, leading to emotional cheers in the DMK camp and among Karunanidhi’s children MK Stalin and Kanimozhi at Rajaji Hall.
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