Chennai: DMK MP Tiruchi Siva’s claim that former chief minister K. Karunanidhi once told him that Congress stalwart K. Kamaraj would get an allergy if he did not sleep in an air-conditioned room has sparked unease between INDIA bloc allies Congress and DMK.
While Tamil Nadu Congress Committee President K. Selvaperunthagai and Congress MP Jothimani condemned the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam Rajya Sabha MP for his comments, Opposition AIADMK and BJP latched on to his statement to drive a wedge between the two parties.
At a DMK public meeting in Perambur 15 July, Siva purportedly said Karunanidhi told him that Kamaraj would not be able to sleep without an air conditioner owing to his skin allergy.
In a social media video, Siva could be heard purportedly saying, “When I was around 23 or 24, Kalaignar (Karunanidhi) would take me in his car and recount some events. Some people would question why he was telling these things to a young kid. But he knew I would speak about them in public meetings and convey them effectively to people.”
“He would tell me many such stories. One day, he told me this, ‘Kamarajar has organised condemnation meetings all over Tamil Nadu against electricity shortage. Kamarajar would get an allergy if he didn’t have air conditioning’. So, he (Karunanidhi) ordered that all the visitors’ bungalows where he stayed be equipped with air conditioning,” Siva said in the public meeting at Perambur.
Siva’s statements sparked a backlash as many saw it as a distortion of Kamaraj’s legacy and simplicity.
Former BJP president K. Annamalai said it was not a surprise that the DMK is attempting to disgrace great leader Kamaraj. “Even when Kamaraj was alive, the late DMK leader Mr. Karunanidhi criticised him with derogatory words, and the nation knows it,” he said in a post on X on Thursday.
Speaking to the reporters on Thursday, he also questioned if the Congress is ready to leave the DMK-led alliance in the state.
“Why is the Congress still silent after the DMK is making factually incorrect statements about K Kamarajar. Is the Congress ready to leave the DMK alliance? Is the Congress prepared to contest the elections alone to save its dignity,” he asked while speaking to reporters in Chennai Thursday.
Condemning Siva, Congress MP Jothimani said such false claims and narratives were used to target the Congress stalwart during his active political career too. “The whole world knows how Kamaraj lived and how much he had at the time of his death,” she told reporters in Karur Wednesday evening.
In a post on X, she said Siva’s remark was contrary to the truth. “As a chief minister, he stayed in government guest houses, and if it was too hot, he would sleep under a tree on a cot. He was a simple man who even told his security personnel to rest and was accustomed to sleeping alone. The claim by brother Thiru Tiruchi Siva that Kamarajar would not sleep without an air-conditioned room is entirely contrary to the truth,” she said.
She added that Siva’s statement must be seen as a continuation of the myths propagated in the past with political malice against the leader.
The DMK has often criticised the Congress stalwart through cartoons and remarks. Siva’s comments, coming on the day Kamaraj’s 123rd birth anniversary was celebrated across the state, have reignited tensions between the DMK and its ally Congress.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president M.K. Stalin stepped in soon and asked his cadres to not give any room to “evil-minded people” to stir trouble in the alliance and revel in it.
“Let us all unite and work to fulfill the dreams of the great leader (K. Kamaraj) who dedicated his entire life to building social justice and secular harmony! Let us avoid pointless debates!” he said in a post on X on Thursday.
He also recalled how rationalist Periyar alias E.V. Ramasamy once praised Kamaraj as a “true Tamilian”.
“Peraringar Anna (former chief minister C. N. Annadurai) was the one who decided not to field a candidate against the great leader in the Gudiyatham byelection. When the great leader passed away, Tamil leader Kalaignar stood like a son, in making arrangements for the final respects, establishing a memorial and declaring his birthday as education development day,” Stalin recalled in his post on X.
Siva also issued a clarification Wednesday night, saying he speaks passionately and emotionally about Kamaraj.
“There is a growing debate assuming that I spoke in a manner that tarnished the reputation of the great leader Kamarajar. Many are aware that even when I speak about leaders from opposition, I criticise them with decorum,” he said, asking people not to make his speech a subject of further debate.
“It is my usual practice to speak passionately and emotionally on various platforms about Kamarajar, who opened the eyes of people through education and served a guiding light for India by enabling children from poor households to attend school through the midday meal scheme,” he said.
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Opposition gets fodder
Opposition AIADMK criticised the Congress for “not condemning” Siva enough for his remarks. “Congress leaders should exhibit more spine in condemning. No true Congressmen would accept such a remark against the Congress stalwart and a man who is known for his simplicity,” AIADMK spokesperson Kovai Sathyan told ThePrint.
Tamil Maanila Congress leader G.K. Vasan expressed pain over Siva’s comments and condemned him and his party DMK.
“Kamaraj is known for his simplicity and integrity. He is a role model for politicians in the state. His tenure in the state is regarded as the golden period,” Vasan said in a statement Thursday.
Meanwhile, actor-turned politician Vijay’s TVK demanded a public apology from Siva for his “false allegations”.
“Kamaraj is our ideological leader and he is a symbol of honesty and simplicity. Siva should seek a public apology. The TNCC will stay silent, but the TVK will not if our ideological leaders are targeted,” K. Arunraj, the TVK General Secretary said in a statement Thursday.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
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