CHENNAI: Congress never made any request for a memorial for former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Kamaraj on the Marina and it was DMK patriarch Karunanidhi who voluntarily offered to build a memorial for the Congress leader at Gandhi Mandapam, according to Pazha Nedumaran, president of the Tamizhar Desiya Munnani and a former Congressman.“Congressmen decided to perform the last rites at Sathyamurthi Bhavan here but it was the then Chief Minister Karunanidhi, who offered land at Gandhi Mandapam to build a memorial for Kamaraj,” said Nedumaran, who was the then secretary of Tamil Nadu Congress Committee when Kamarajar died.
“He requested us to perform the last rites of Kamarajar at Gandhi Mandapam to honour the freedom fighter. Following which, we performed the last rites at Gandhi Mandapam and Kamarajar sister’s grandsons lighted the pyre. Later, a memorial was built at the campus,” he recalled.
Hitting out at rumours, Nedumaran said during the last two days messages were doing the rounds in various social media such as Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp that Karunanidhi refused to give land on Marina to build a memorial for Kamaraj. “We didn’t make any request to Karunanidhi for a memorial for Kamaraj,” said Nedumaran.Pazha Nedumaran said many netizens were spreading false news without checking facts and not willing to know the background behind Kamaraj‘s memorial.