CM refutes Stalin’s charges of denying burial space for MK

Campaigning for AIADMK Tiruparankundram bypoll candidate S Muniyandi, Palaniswami said his government was ready to offer land near the Gandhi Mandapam opposite the Anna University in Chennai. “However, Stalin did not accept it and moved court seeking allotment of land on the Marina Beach,” he said.

Claiming that Stalin found fault with the government for providing burial space on the Marina for the late J Jayalalithaa, the CM said, “Stalin’s benamis filed a case in court. Since the case was pending in the court and any provision of land at Marina for burial would amount to contempt of court, my government was clear in our stand and refused to allot the land.”

“Subsequently, the three petitioners who fought against the burial of late Jayalalithaa on behalf of the DMK withdrew their petitions from the court and sought its direction to bury the mortal remains of late Karunanidhi on the Marina. The AIADMK government could have opposed this, but we did not do so,” the Chief Minister said.

Recalling that Karunanidhi had denied space on the beach for the late K Kamaraj when Congress men approached him after the veteran leader’s death, Palaniswami said Kamaraj made significant contributions to Tamil Nadu and refused to become the Prime Minister despite having an opportunity. “The DMK did not allot burial space on the Marina for such a selfless leader,” he said, wondering whether Karunanidhi was greater than Kamaraj.