A day after DMK working president M.K. Stalin claimed political animosity behind the AIADMK government’s denying permission to bury party leader M. Karunanidhi at Anna Memorial on the Marina, AIADMK organising secretary D. Jayakumar on Thursday said his party leadership would not be threatened by such statements.
Mr. Jayakumar in a statement said though it would not be appropriate to list the things the AIADMK government did for the late DMK leader’s funeral, his party had been forced to do so in the light of a letter Mr. Stalin published in DMK mouthpiece Murasoli.
The government had announced holiday for offices, schools and colleges on the day of the funeral, allowed lying-in-State at Rajaji Hall, provided police security, announced a week-long mourning, among others, he noted.
Reiterating the State government’s stand that the decision to not allow the burial of the mortal remains of the late DMK leader was taken only because of the five pending cases, Mr. Jayakumar contended there were some people who wanted to remove the memorial of late Chief Minister Jayalalithaa from Anna Square.
Underlining the government's offering a two-acre land adjacent to the memorials of former Chief Ministers K. Kamaraj and M. Bhakthavachalam among others, he asked: “Where is political animosity in this? Do DMK men, who opposed our Amma's portrait in the Assembly, have conscience?”
Mr. Jayakumar went on to claim that Karunanidhi had denied permission for burying the mortal remains of former Chief Ministers K. Kamaraj and Janaki Ramachandran on the Marina. The DMK stood exposed in the eyes of the general public, he said.
“But, our leaders Edappadi K. Palaniswami and O. Panneerselvam and we would not be disheartened by the old ways of the DMK of hurling insults and would not fail in our duty,” Mr. Jayakumar said.