Nation bids goodbye to 'Kalaignar': Karunanidhi laid to rest at Marina beach after court battle
DMK chief M Karunanidhi, a colossus in Tamil Nadu politics, poet, columnist, and script-writer, died on Tuesday evening.
DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi was laid to rest on Wednesday on the Marina beachfront as his party supporters as well as a galaxy of political leaders bid him a farewell. The 5-time Tamil Nadu Chief Minister was buried at the Chennai landmark, next to his mentor Annadurai after an unsavoury courtroom battle his party won.
The country's high and mighty descended on the city to pay their last respects to the Kalaignar, who left an indelible imprint on Tamil Nadu's public life over decades through his literary, cinematic and political achievements.
The 94-year-old leader had breathed his last at a hospital in Chennai after fighting for life for 11 days.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, and his Kerala, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh counterparts Pinarayi Vijayan, K Chandrasekhar Rao and N Chandrababu Naidu paid their last respects to the Dravidian leader. He had not made any public appearance for about two years due to failing health.
The Madras High Court on Wednesday paved the way for the burial of the DMK chief at Anna Memorial on Marina beach. A huge row erupted after the state's AIADMK government rejected the demand of the DMK, its long-standing political rival in state politics, for land on the famed sands of the Marina beach where he could be buried.
The government was reluctant about allotting space for Karunanidhi's burial at the Marina as he was not a sitting Chief Minister.
Former chief minister M G Ramachandran and his protegee J Jayalalitha are buried at the Marina beach and memorials to them were erected there. Both were bitter foes of Karunanidhi in politics.
19:08 IST Wednesday, 8 August 2018
► The casket with the mortal remains of late DMK president and five-time Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M Karunanidhi lowered into the ground, in the presence of family members and hundreds of party cadres.
9:40 IST Wednesday, 8 August 2018
► There are 1 crore DMK followers in Tamil Nadu. They will be offended if burial land is not allotted for Karunanidhi at Marina beach: DMK's lawyer to court
9:38 IST Wednesday, 8 August 2018
► Heavy security outside Anna Memorial at Marina beach.
Latest Update
9:01 IST Wednesday, 8 August 2018
► Chants of supporters seeking a space at the Marina beach for the burial of Karunanidhi could also be heard,
8:59 IST Wednesday, 8 August 2018
► So far - Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami and his deputy O Panneerselvam, Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker M Thambidurai, senior state ministers, AMMK leader and RK Nagar MLA TTV Dhinakaran, superstar Rajinikanth and his family, actor Sivakarthikeyan, Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit, Deepa Jayakumar, Former Kerala CM Oommen Chandy and others paid homage to Karunanidhi.
8:59 IST Wednesday, 8 August 2018
► People queued up in large numbers early this morning at Rajaji Hall here to pay their last respects
8:51 IST Wednesday, 8 August 2018
► Tamil Nadu govt to Court: All former chief ministers given space in Gandhi Mandapam for the memorial. Only those who deceased when they were serving chief ministers get Marina Beach .
This is according to established precedent and protocol. Kamaraj, Rajaji, Bhakthavatsalam given memorial space near Gandhi Mandapam.
Karunanidhi himself understood the protocol. When he was CM in 1996, former chief minister Janaki Ramachandran, wife of MGR, was buried in her residence Ramawaram gardens and not Marina. Govt cites file notings of this decision.
8:44 IST Wednesday, 8 August 2018
Deepa Jayakumar pays last respects
8:43 IST Wednesday, 8 August 2018
Madras HC dismisses petitions filed by Traffic Ramaswamy, PMK’s K. Balu & DK’s Doraisamy last year challenging construction of memorials in Marina.
8:31 IST Wednesday, 8 August 2018
► Lawyer of petitioner Traffic Ramaswamy says 'We have no objection to the burial land for Karunanidhi'. Acting Chief Justice says to the lawyer 'Withdraw your case'.
8:17 IST Wednesday, 8 August 2018
Tamil Nadu Govt files its counter affidavit in the case. Hearing in the matter is underway at Madras High Court.
► Huge crowd gathers at Chennai's Rajaji Hall to pay last respects to Karunanidhi
7:40 IST Wednesday, 8 August 2018
► Madras High Court to hear the case against denial of burial land by Tamil Nadu Government at Marina beach
7:33 IST Wednesday, 8 August 2018
► This is a great loss for Tamil Nadu. My deep condolences to his family members & DMK party workers: Tamil Nadu CM E Palaniswami
7:30 IST Wednesday, 8 August 2018
► Tamil Nadu CM E Palaniswamy & Deputy CM O Panneerselvam at Chennai's Rajaji Hall where mortal remains of Karunanidhi are kept.
7:15 IST Wednesday, 8 August 2018
► Former All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) leader TTV Dhinakaran and Actor-turned-politician Rajinikanth also paid their homage here.
► Karunanidhi's mortal remains kept at Rajaji Hall
M Karunanidhi's mortal remains have been moved at Chennai's Rajaji Hall in Anna Sala. Prior to this, the mortal remains of Karunanidhi was kept at his Gopalapuram residence and was later taken to his daughter Kanimozhi's residence in CIT Colony for the homage.
► In a twist to the late night proceedings, unprecedented in Tamil Nadu's legal history, two of the petitioners who had moved the court against late chief minister J Jayalalithaa's burial at the Marina and construction of a memorial there, withdrew their applications.
Politicians react to Karunanidhi 's death
► President Ramnath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi mourned Karunanidhi's death. "Extremely sad to learn of the passing of Thiru M Karunanidhi. A doyen of our public life, as a contributor to the development of Tamil Nadu and of India he has few peers. Our country is poorer today. My condolences to his family and millions of well-wishers," Kovind tweeted.
► Modi said Karunanidhi stood for regional aspirations as well as national progress. "Deeply saddened by the passing away of Kalaignar Karunanidhi. He was one of the senior most leaders of India. We have lost a deep-rooted mass leader, prolific thinker, accomplished writer and a stalwart whose life was devoted to the welfare of the poor and the marginalised," Modi said in a series of tweets.
► Congress president Rahul Gandhi also took to Twitter to condole Karunanidhi's death. "Loved by the Tamilian people, Kalaignar strode the stage of Tamil politics, like a colossus, for over 6 decades. In his passing, India has lost a great son. My condolences to his family as also to the millions of Indians who grieve for their beloved leader tonight," he said on Twitter.