Chennai: Release of a commemorative coin to mark the birth centenary of DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi by Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has kicked up a major political storm in Tamil Nadu with AIADMK, the principal Opposition party, alleging a “secret relationship” between the DMK and BJP.
In a sharp retort to AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami’s claims, Chief Minister and DMK President M K Stalin on Monday dismissed allegations of a “secret relationship” with the BJP and asserted that the DMK will never compromise on its “core principles” and “rights” that are accorded to state governments.
Singh released the commemorative coin on Sunday at a glittering function organized by the Tamil Nadu government and paid rich tributes to the late DMK patriarch. The DMK government had come under criticism in the past as well when it invited the then Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu to unveil a statue of Karunanidhi in May 2022.
As the event stoked a row, DMK’s key ally Congress said Stalin would never extend support to a “communal party” like the BJP and played down Singh’s presence at the function on Sunday.
Tearing into Palaniswami, Stalin told a marriage ceremony here that the Leader of Opposition was “unable” to fathom the DMK organising events after events to commemorate the birth centenary of five-time Chief Minister Karunanidhi and that’s the reason he was making “silly claims” that there were Hindi words in the coin.
“He (Palaniswami) should know politics. Or at least he should keep himself abreast of current affairs. This event was conducted with the permission of the Union Government. I believe Palaniswami would have never seen the commemorative coins released in memory of C N Annadurai, and M G Ramachandran. They too had Hindi and English,” Stalin said.
The Chief Minister also sought to know why the AIADMK or Palaniswami, who “proudly sport” a picture of Jayalalithaa in their shirt pockets, never bothered to conduct a “condolence meeting for her.”
“They say we are in a secret relationship with the BJP just because we invited Rajnath Singh for the event. This has become fodder for the media. Every media has interpreted the statements of (Palaniswami) in its way. We have no reason to be in a secret relationship with anyone (BJP),” Stalin said.
He also recalled the words of former prime minister Indira Gandhi that DMK will always be rooted in its ideology while supporting or opposing a decision.
“This is enough for us. We passed a resolution against the Union Government in our district secretaries meeting last week. Palaniswami should first read such resolutions. We are not like Palaniswami to make compromises to assume power. We will respect people. I tell you categorically that the DMK will never compromise on the rights (of states),” he added.
Stalin said it was Karunanidhi who ensured that the Tamil signature of Annadurai, the DMK founder, became part of the coin released in his memory and that his government was insistent that the words Tamizh Vellum (Tamil will emerge victorious) should find mention in Karunanidhi’s commemorative coin.
Contending that the coin release function was a government-organized event, Stalin also sought to punch holes in Palaniswami’s criticism of why the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi was not invited. “A commemorative coin in memory of MGR was released in 2019 by Palaniswami himself because no one from the Centre came to the event. They never considered him as a Chief Minister,” Stalin claimed.