CHENNAI: Amid strong reactions from Tamil Nadu Congress leaders to DMK deputy general secretary Tiruchy N Siva’s comment about former CM and Congress stalwart K Kamaraj, DMK president and Chief Minister MK Stalin on Thursday appealed to party cadres to “avoid unnecessary debates” and not to give space to the intentions of evil-minded people who want to foment trouble..
“Let’s avoid futile discussions. It is not right to have controversial discussions in public about such a great leader and a pure Tamilian. Any opinion should be shared in a way that protects the dignity of respected leaders,” Stalin said in a post on ‘X’.
Speaking at an event on July 16, Rajya Sabha MP Siva, while trying to explain about the bonding between Kamaraj and DMK patriarch K Karunanidhi, said the former had a health problem that required him to be in air-conditioned rooms and hence the then CM Karunanidhi arranged AC facility in all government guest houses across the state. He also said that Kamaraj, during his last days, held the hands of Karunanidhi and urged him to ‘protect democracy’.
The remark was seen by many as an affront to the legacy of the Congress leader known for his impeccable integrity, simplicity and austere life.
Several TNCC leaders, including president K Selvaperunthagai and MPs S Jothimani and Manickam Tagore, slammed Siva and demanded an apology from him after the video of his speech went viral.
AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, too, condemned the remarks. Palaniswami alleged that though the events surrounding the passing away of Kamaraj have been recorded meticulously, Siva has dared to utter a blatant lie by claiming that Kamaraj hailed Karunanidhi by holding his hands. Vijay’s TVK and Seeman’s NTK also jumped in to attack the DMK for “insulting” Kamaraj.
Meanwhile, several DMK cadres reshared Karunanidhi’s Facebook post from 2013 praising Kamaraj. In that long post, the Dravidian leader referred to various anecdotes regarding his relationship with Kamaraj despite political differences and how being the CM then he honoured Kamaraj following his death by naming Chennai Beach Road after him and also got Chennai domestic airport named after him. The DMK cadres also expressed their resentment towards the state Congress leaders for their reactions.
Amid this war of words, Stalin wrote on X, “Like a son, Karunanidhi made arrangements for the funeral of Kamaraj, built a memorial for him, and declared his birthday as Education Development Day. Kamaraj, despite health issues, attended my wedding and offered his blessings. Dignity of such revered leaders must be upheld in all remarks. We must strive together to make the dreams of Kamaraj, who worked for social justice and communal harmony all his life, a reality.”
Embattled DMK MP Siva also appealed for peace and said, “I hold great respect and admiration for Kamaraj. Kindly accept my explanation and do not continue the debate further over my remarks.”
Meanwhile, former BJP state president K Annamalai said the Congress should exit the DMK alliance. “Any self-respecting Congress worker would leave the alliance if they heard what Karunanidhi had said about Kamaraj during the 1967 elections,” Annamalai said.