Chennai: Though DMK president M Karunanidhi’s son and party working president M K Stalin had personally and formally appealed to allow to bury his father in the Marina, the government today said it was not in a position to grant the request.
A statement from Tamilnadu secretary to government, Girija Vaidyanathan, said the government was willing to allow the body to be placed in Rajaji Hall to enable VIPs and public pay their last respects to the departed leader.
She added that the government was willing to allot two acres of land on Sardar Patel Road, opposite Anna University, near Gandhi Mandapam, to bury him.
Pointing to cases pending in court with regard to setting up mausoleums in the Marina, the government turned down DMK’s request to give Karunanidhi a resting place near party founder, C N Annadurai.
The government has declared a 7-day mourning period. The national flag would fly at half-mast and he would be given a farewell with gun salute.
Earlier, DMK principal secretary S Duraimurugan told mediapersons outside Kauvery Hospital that they have not yet received confirmation from the Tamilnadu government that DMK president M Karunanidhi could be buried in the Marina.
Duraimurugan said DMK working president M K Stalin had personally met Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and requested to allot land in the Marina to inter his father’s body. The Chief Minister had said he would look into the request.
Then, said Duraimurugan, they followed it up with a formal request. The request was sent in a formal letter from DMK headquarters Arivalayam, signed by DMK working president Stalin.
But the government seems to have not turned down the request as seen in the statement issued by secretary Girija Vaidyanathan.