A. Raja’s Statement on Karunanidhi Centenary Commemoration and AIADMK’s ReactionsDMK Deputy General Secretary and MP, A. Raja, issued a statement addressing the recent remarks made by AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami regarding the centenary celebrations of late DMK leader Karunanidhi.
In a move to honor Karunanidhi’s centenary, the Central Government released a commemorative ₹100 coin. Palaniswami questioned why Union Minister Rajnath Singh was attending the event and why Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was not invited.
Responding to these queries, A. Raja pointed out that it is customary for the Central Government to issue coins and currency notes in India, and as such, there is no issue with Rajnath Singh, the Union Defence Minister, participating in the event. He questioned Palaniswami’s objection to this.
Palaniswami also raised concerns about the presence of Hindi inscriptions on the coin bearing Karunanidhi’s image. Addressing this, A. Raja clarified that all coins and currency notes in India traditionally feature both English and Hindi inscriptions. He added that even the coin released in honor of AIADMK founder M.G. Ramachandran (MGR) carried Hindi inscriptions, a fact that Palaniswami seems unaware of.
Raja highlighted that the coin commemorating Karunanidhi is the only one to feature the inscription “Tamil Vellum” (Tamil will prevail). He further accused Palaniswami of being unable to tolerate the Central Government’s recognition of Karunanidhi and the DMK Government’s successful implementation of long-awaited projects like the Athikadavu-Avinashi project. In his statement, Raja likened Palaniswami’s complaints to the bitter outcry of a “Gandhari” figure.