34 yrs after boy demolished it, Karunanidhi’s statue to come up at same place

On the morning of December 24, 1987, as news of the passing of the legendary actor-turned-Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MG Ramachandran (popularly MGR) spread, supporters had gone on a rampage in the then Madras. While a section of the vandals had resorted to looting from showrooms on arterial Anna Salai, a young boy took a spear and demolished a statue of DMK president M Karunanidhi, which was erected in 1975 when he was Chief Minister.

The next morning Karunanidhi wrote in his party mouthpiece Murasoli that he was happy to note that the boy had hit the spear “on my chest, unlike some who stabbed me on the back.”

Now, 34 years later, his son and Chief Minister MK Stalin has announced that Karunanidhi’s statue would come up at the same spot where it once stood.

On Wednesday when a DMK MLA Neelamegam raised the issue in the Legislative Assembly and urged the Government to install Karunanidhi’s statue at the same place, Stalin responded in the affirmative. Incidentally, there is a Supreme Court order prohibiting installing statues in public places and on roads. However, Stalin said a few days ago Dravidar Kazhagam founder Veeramani met him and said that since permission was obtained for installing the statue back then, no fresh permission would be needed.

Stalin said since there is statue of other Dravidian stalwarts on Anna Salai – Periyar E V Ramasamy, CN Annadurai and MGR – it would be appropriate to install Karunanidhi’s statue on the stretch. “The statue will certainly be installed,” he said.