CHENNAI : M K Kanimozhi, former chief minister M Karunanidhi’s daughter and Rajya Sabha member, put it best on Twitter: “He was a fighter and a winner and today he won another battle...”Indeed, after the DMK president’s death at the age of 94 on Tuesday following age-related illnesses, he faced yet another battle, this time to take his place alongside his mentor and late former chief minister C N Annadurai at the Anna Memorial on the Marina Beach in the city. After a late-night legal intervention, the decks were cleared and the literary and political giant was laid to rest alongside his ‘anna’ with full state honours, in the presence of family, emotional cadre and dignitaries from across the country on Wednesday evening.
Giving no room for ambiguity over the line of succession in the DMK, it was younger son M K Stalin, party working president, who received the Tricolour draped over his father’s body. He occupied the most prominent place in the proceedings for a better part of the day although in the end, the whole family, including his estranged elder brother M K Alagiri, stood together to lay the patriarch to rest.
Karunanidhi’s remains had been moved from his CIT Colony residence to Rajaji Hall by 5.35 am where members of the public and dignitaries were able to pay homage from 8 am to 4 pm. The legal battle began on Tuesday with DMK organising secretary and Rajya Sabha member R S Bharathi filing a petition before the Madras High Court on the matter of the leader’s final resting place. The case was heard at the residence of Acting Chief Justice Huluvadi G Ramesh from 10.30 pm on Tuesday, by the first bench comprising the ACJ and Justice S S Sundar till well past midnight before being adjourned to 8.30 am on Wednesday.
Bharathi’s PIL questioned a press release of the Chief Secretary issued on Tuesday evening in response to a personal request by Stalin to Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami to allot space for Karunanidhi’s burial on the Marina. The press release communicated the decision of the Tamil Nadu government to deny permission in view of certain legal hurdles. On Wednesday, resuming his arguments, senior advocate P Wilson, appearing for Bharathi, said the press release was discriminatory, injustice and wholly illegal.Senior advocate C S Vaidyanathan submitted that the decision to deny permission had been taken considering the legal impediments on the issue.
The policy decision of the government to deny permission for Karunanidhi’s burial on the Marina could not be subjected to judicial review, senior advocate C S Vaidyanathan argued. They also pointed out that Karunanidhi, when he was CM, had refused permission to bury the body of V N Janaki, wife of former Chief Minister M G Ramachandran, on the Marina after her death. Arguments concluded at 10.30 am and at 10.45 am, the bench directed the government to allot space behind the Anna memorial on the Marina, as sought by the DMK.
“Upon hearing the senior counsel on either side and considering the entire conspectus of the matter, the writ petition is allowed with a direction to the respondent-authorities to provide place for the decent burial to lay the mortal remains of M Karunanidhi, former Chief Minister on the Marina beach, within the precincts of the burial place of the founder of DMK party and former Chief Minister C N Annadurai, namely Anna Memorial at Kamarajar Salai in consonance with the rough sketch provided by the petitioner,” the judges said. The court added that such exercise should be carried out by the respondent-authorities forthwith. It then released the order.
Allocation of land
Arguments concluded at 10.30 am and at 10.45 am, the bench directed the government to allot space behind the Anna memorial on the Marina, as sought by the DMK
VIP gate rush behind stampede
Three persons, including a woman, were killed and some 30 others injured in a stampede at the Rajaji Hall where Karunanidhi’s mortal remains were kept for homage on Wednesday. Senbagavali, a 62-year-old resident of MGR Nagar and long-time supporter of the DMK, was caught in a stampede just minutes after she reached the venue, and lost her life. Saravanan (35) and a 60-year-old man who is yet to be identified were the others killed. The stampede occurred minutes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi left the venue, with the public rushing in through the VIP gate.
Homage by Modi, Rahul
PM Narendra Modi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi, party leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Siddaramaiah, CMs Mamata Banerjee, Chandrababu Naidu, HD Kumaraswamy, V Narayanasamy, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav, JD(S) leader H D Deve Gowda, NCP leaders Sharad Pawar and Praful Patel, and CPM veterans Prakash Karat and Sitaram Yechury flew in to Chennai to pay homage