Tamil Nadu: DMK Leader Karunanidhi's Last Months Under 'House Arrest' Become Election Flashpoint As AIADMK Promises Probe

Chennai: Nearly eight years after DMK leader and five time Chief Minister M Karunanidhi died, his last months that were confined largely inside his Gopalapuram home, has become a topic of discussion in this Assembly election season in Tamil Nadu.

AIADMK's Promise

On Saturday AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, said that an AIADMK government would order a full legal investigation into the alleged “house arrest” of former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi if voted to power.

Addressing an election rally in Arani, Palaniswami asserted that the issue had originated from within the DMK and was not raised by him.

A day earlier DMK president and Chief Minister M K Stalin had hit out at Palaniswami for seeking to generate a controversy when none existed.

Palaniswami's Counter

However, responding to Stalin, the Leader of Opposition said the DMK leader’s criticism was misplaced. “Do not direct your anger at me. Direct it at your own party's deputy general secretary A Raja, whose statements I only repeated,” he said, referring to an audio clip that had gone viral.

He also cited remarks attributed to Stalin's elder brother M K Alagiri, suggesting that similar claims had been voiced within the party. Raising questions over the treatment of the late DMK patriarch, Palaniswami accused the ruling party leadership of betraying both familial and political trust.

Burial Controversy

The AIADMK leader further revisited the controversy surrounding Karunanidhi’s burial at the Marina, stating his government had followed precedents and offered land in Guindy. He noted that similar principles had been applied in the past, including in the case of former Chief Minister K. Kamaraj.

Expanding his attack on the DMK government, Palaniswami alleged administrative failures and corruption across sectors. He said an AIADMK government would also investigate the collapse of a bridge over the Thenpennai river, which he claimed was constructed at a cost of ₹15 crore under the Highways Department led by E V Velu.

He accused the DMK of presiding over rising debt, increasing drug circulation, crimes against women, and a deterioration in law and order. He also criticised the hike in TASMAC liquor prices and electricity tariffs, stating that they had imposed a financial burden on the public.

The AIADMK leader also claimed that the DMK had failed to fulfil a majority of its election promises, stating that less than a quarter of its commitments had been implemented. He cited delays in welfare schemes and lack of relief on key issues such as fuel prices, education loans, and employment.