Controversy erupts over burial site for Karunanidhi

CHENNAI: A controversy erupted on Tuesday night after the Tamil Nadu government rejected the opposition DMK’S demand for allotting space on the Marina beach for the burial of its leader M Karunanidhi and offered space near the memorials of former chief ministers C Rajagopalachari and K Kamraj.

DMK working president M K Stalin, recalling the long public life of Karunanidhi, had written to Chief Minister K Palaniswami seeking space inside the mausoleum complex of the departed leader’s mentor C N Annadurai at the Marina.

Stalin had also met the chief minister hours before his father’s death.

A government statement said it was “unable to allot space at Marina beach owing to several pending cases in the Madras High Court and legal complications.”

Hence, the government is prepared to allott a two-acre site on Sardar Patel Road near the memorials to Rajaji and Kamaraj, it said.

Former chief minister M G Ramachandran and his protegee J Jayalalitha were buried at the Marina beach and memorials to them were erected there. Both were bitter foes of Karunanidhi in politics.

Meanwhile, the government announced its inability to allot a space on the Marina beach for burial of DMK leader Karunanidhi, the party moved the Madras High Court challenging its decision.

Senior counsel for DMK P Wilson and Saravanan went to acting Chief Justice of the Madras High Court Huluvadi G Ramesh’s residence and sought permission to move an urgent motion. The acting chief justice directed them to serve notice on the advocate general, saying he would hear the case at 10.30 pm at his residence.

DMK moves court seeking space at Marina beach