Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay apologised in the Assembly on Monday after a minister addressed former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi by name alone, omitting the customary honorifics. The comment promptly sparked protests from the opposition DMK, which described it as a breach of decorum.
Vijay intervened swiftly to restore order in the House and acknowledged that the way the late leader had been referred to was inappropriate.
“I apologise on his behalf,” Vijay said, after R V Ranjith Kumar, who serves as Forest Minister mentioned Karunanidhi without using terms such as “Kalaignar” or “former Chief Minister”.
The issue emerged during a debate on the demands for grants for the Health and Revenue departments. In his address, Ranjith Kumar condemned past cash-for-votes practices, alluded to the contentious “Thirumangalam formula,” and asserted that in earlier elections, up to Rs 1,500 per vote had been distributed in his Kancheepuram constituency.
Drawing a contrast between those elections and the present administration, the minister stated that the current government had come to power without resorting to cash-for-votes. Yet, while enumerating what he termed past electoral tactics, he referred to the DMK patriarch merely as “Karunanidhi”. This violated a long-established practice in the Tamil Nadu Assembly of addressing respected leaders with formal protocol titles.
The omission triggered strong protests from DMK legislators, led by former minister K K S S R Ramachandran. As the atmosphere grew heated, Vijay interrupted the minister during his speech and conceded that addressing Karunanidhi in that fashion was improper. His apology promptly quelled the disruption and restored order to the debate.
Bureau Report
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