The Madras High Court on Wednesday ruled in favour of a petition by the DMK seeking a memorial site at Chennai's iconic Marina Beach for DMK patriarch M. Karunanidhi, who died the previous night. The AIADMK government had denied the DMK's request for a spot at Marina, following which the opposition party approached the Madras High Court. The High Court then scheduled an early morning hearing.
The issue is an emotive one given that other senior leaders of the Dravidian parties—Annadurai, M.G. Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa—have been buried at the Marina Beach. The government had contended that all three leaders with memorials at the Marina Beach had died while in office, unlike Karunanidhi, who was a former chief minister.
The demand for a memorial at the Marina for Karunanidhi also ruffled political feathers as major opposition parties backed the demand. Congress chief Rahul Gandhi tweeted “Kalaignar was an expression of the voice of the Tamil people. That voice deserves to be given space on Marina Beach.” Sitaram Yechury of the CPI(M) and Omar Abdullah of the National Conference also tweeted in support of a memorial for Karunanidhi at the Marina Beach.
On Wednesday morning, Karunanidhi's body was kept at the Rajaji Hall for political leaders and members of the public to pay respects. Governor Banwarilal Purohit and Chief Minister E. Palaniswami paid homage to Karunanidhi early. DMK cadres have been raising the demand for a memorial for Karunanidhi at the Marina during the viewing outside Rajaji Hall; the demand has also gone viral on Twitter, with even Gandhi posting a hashtag #Marina4Kalaignar.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman left for Chennai before 8am and are expected to arrive in Chennai by 10.30am to pay their respects to Karunanidhi.
