'Cruel AIADMK Govt Denying Kalaignar a Proper Send-off With Its Petty Politics'

Chennai: Senior DMK leader and a member of his party’s legal team said that AIADMK is playing “petty politics” over the issue of M Karunanidhi’s burial.

Speaking to News18, A Saravanan, said, “They are doing petty politics over our leader’s death. We don’t even want to run to the courts. We want to be there next to our leader, pay him homage and give him a good send-off. But this cruel government is not allowing us to do this.”

His statements assume significance considering that his party, the DMK, has just moved the Madras High Court for an urgent hearing over the final resting place for the party patriarch. This followed the decision by the ruling party, the AIADMK, to not grant Karunanidhi a burial and a memorial at Marina beach.

When asked whether the DMK was playing a “tit-for-tat” politics, given that the then Chief Minister Karunanidhi had denied a burial place for the Congress leader from Tamil Nadu K Kamaraj at the same spot where his followers now wanted Kalaignar to be buried, Saravanan said that his party only demanded their right.

“We are here to seek a legal right that we think we have. Because they [AIADMK] are unable to do anything to our party, therefore, they are resorting to such measures. There is no court order which says that you cannot bury him at the site. There is no legal embargo on it. What we are demanding is well within the four corners of the law.”

News18 also asked Saravanan what his party would do if the matter was not resolved in the 10:30 pm hearing. He said, “The CJI of Madras High Court has very graciously said that if we can’t decide the matter tonight we will hear the matter again at 9 0’clock tomorrow morning. All the options are open and the leadership will take a call on how to go about it.”

The controversy over Karunanidhi’s burial erupted when the ruling AIADMK government turned down requests from the DMK for permission to bury him next to the grave of his mentor and DMK founder, CN Annadurai at Chennai's "Anna Square" memorial.

DMK supporters want Kalaignar buried in this very spot where former Chief Ministers CN Annadurai, MG Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa have also been laid to rest.