Stalin rues 'indiscriminate criticism' of Karunanidhi

DMK President M K Stalin Tuesday rued the "indiscriminate criticism" of his father and the late M Karunanidhi, remarks seen as a response to Chief Minister K Palaniswami's charge that the DMK stalwart was under "house arrest" for two years prior to his death.

The DMK also lashed out at Palaniswami for his statement, saying it did not behove the office he held.

At an election rally in Tirunelveli, Stalin referred to "reports" of Karunanidhi being targeted, an apparent reference to Palaniswami's statement.

On Monday, at an election meeting in the Nilgiris, the chief minister had alleged that Karunanidhi was kept under "house-arrest" for two years before his death and that he could have been taken abroad for treatment.

He had indicated the AIADMK government could launch a probe into it by virtue of Karunanidhi being a former chief minister.

"Karunanidhi is a former chief minister...he was not given proper treatment and put under house arrest by Stalin because he thought he cannot become party chief if his father did well," Palaniswami had said.

DMK workers "say Karunanidhi would have talked if he had been taken abroad and given better treatment. So Stalin kept his father under house arrest for his own selfish interests," he had charged.

He had also asked why Stalin was not made party chief when Karunanidhi was alive, and pointed out that the DMK chief came to the present post only after his father's demise.

On Tuesday, Stalin said Karunanidhi was remembered even today by Tamils for his contributions to the state in various spheres.

"We are reading in newspapers and seeing on TV channels the indiscriminate criticism of Kalaignar (Karunanidhi). The time has come to teach them a lesson, to give punishment," he said, apparently calling for voting en masse against the AIADMK-led NDA.

Stalin recalled the developments that ensued after the death of his father on August 7, 2018, when the Palaniswami government denied him burial space at the Marina citing rules.

DMK had sought space near the memorial of DMK founder, the late C N Annadurai, but the government refused it, he said and recalled that the party later won its case in the Madras High Court in this connection.

Meanwhile, senior DMK leader and Rajya Sabha MP Trichy Siva said Palaniswami's remarks amounted to "crossing the limits" and questioned why the late chief minister J Jayalalithaa was not taken abroad for medical treatment.

Further, he said Stalin has risen to be the party chief by dint of his hard work and that the party has accepted him.

"There can be criticism of a person which is a democratically accepted one. Stalin need not struggle to become president...he is party chief due to hard work.

Our party has accepted him. Saying that (Karunanidhi) was kept under house arrest is crossing the limits," he said.

Such remarks did not suit someone holding the post of chief minister, he told reporters in Salem.

"Regarding the medical treatment given to our leader (Karunanidhi), at all times the doctors who examined him had issued statements (bulletins). Till his last moments, people, including well known leaders, visited him."