The mortal remains of late DMK supremo M Karunanidhi is kept at Rajaji Hall in Chennai, and leaders and supporters have been pouring in to pay their last respects. The supporters gathered at the hall are raising slogans of ‘We want Marina’ as dignitaries troop in – and adding his voice to the call is actor-politician Kamal Haasan.
In a statement, Kamal said, “When Anna was alive, the two who grew to guard the party were Kalaignar and MGR. It is only honourable that all three be revered in the same place. It is sad that the young ones who joined the party after MGR don't honour this. Had MGR been alive and Kalaignar had passed away, he would have ensured that Anna's thambi was near him.
On Tuesday evening, Rajinikanth also supported DMK’s demand, saying that a Marina burial would be the highest respect the state would be paying him. Taking to Twitter, he said, "Tamil Nadu Government must take all measures, for last rites of Karunanidhi to be performed near Anna memorial. This would be the highest respect we would be paying to him. This is my humble request."
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that like Jayalalitha, Kalaignar too deserved to be buried at the Marina. “Like Jayalalithaa ji, Kalaignar was an expression of the voice of the Tamil people. That voice deserves to be given space on Marina Beach. I am sure the current leaders of Tamil Nadu will be magnanimous in this time of grief,” he tweeted.
Former Union Minister Farooq Abdullah also batted for DMK. “A great leader has passed away, he did not only represent Tamil Nadu but India as a whole. He fought for federalism and for Tamil people. The people of Tamil Nadu will never forgive State Govt if it denies burial land which is requested by DMK,” Abdullah said.
On Tuesday, DMK working president M K Stalin had written to Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, requesting a space alongside Karunanidhi’s mentor and former Chief Minister CN Annadurai, at Anna Square in Marina.
However, the government gave out a statement saying that it was unable to allot space at the beach owing to several pending cases in the Madras High Court as well as legal complications.
Following this, DMK lawyers, headed by Saravanan Annadurai, moved the Madras High Court and sought permission to move an emergency hearing at Acting Chief Justice of the Madras High Court Huluvadi G Ramesh's residence on Greenways Road. The hearing is underway.