AIDMK and DMK quarrel about Statue

Chennai, Nov 26: The traditional enmity between the ruling DMK and opposition AIADMK in Tamil Nadu has spilt over to the national capital with the arch-rivals sparring swords over installation of statues of AIADMK founder M G Ramachandran and DMK stalwart Murasoli Maran in Parliament House.

Raising objection to the decision to install Mr Maran's statue 'along with the nation's great leaders,' AIADMK General Secretary J Jayalalithaa has accused Chief Minister and DMK President M Karunanidhi of having threatened to withdraw support to the UPA Government if it did not install the statue of his late nephew.

She also charged him with stalling the installation of the statue of Party Founder and two-time Chief Minister MGR in Parliament House, provoking severe condemnation from the DMK and its allies.

Mr Karunanidhi slapped a legal notice on Ms Jayalalithaa, threatening to file a defamation suit if she did not withdraw her ''reckless'' statement in seven days.

Even as the DMK and the AIADMK are flexing their muscles over the issue, Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee has sought to put to rest the controversy by announcing that the statues of both MGR and Mr Maran will be unveiled from the first week of December.

However, the issue has once again exposed bitter animosity between the two Dravidian parties which has descended to mud-slinging at personal level.

Mr Karunanidhi has firmly denied that he was instrumental for the 'undue delay' in the installation of the statue of his friend-turned-political rival MGR, though the statue was handed over to the Joint Parlimentary Committee for Statues in June last. He also accused Ms Jayalalithaa of not having taken diligent steps to expedite the installation of the statue during her tenure as Chief Minister during 2001-06.

AIADMK sources said Ms Jayalalithaa would visit New Delhi to take part in the function as installation of MGR statue in the Parliament House was the ''proudest moment for the party.'' Interestingly, this is not the first time that the two Dravidian arch-rivals are clashing over a statue.

A statue of Kannagi, an enduring symbol of Tamil culture and chastity, was suddenly removed from the scenic Marina Beach in December 2001 when the AIADMK was in power.

Though the then government maintained that the statue was removed as it remained a hindrance to traffic, the action evoked strong condemnation from Tamil scholars and political parties. There were also rumours that the statue was removed after warnings of doom by astrologers and 'vaastu' experts close to Ms Jayalalithaa.

Declaring that the removal of Kannagi's statue amounted to a ''war on Tamil culture and an affront to Tamils' sensibilities,'' Mr Karunanidhi, who was instrumental in having the statue installed in 1968 as PWD Minister in the C N Annadurai Government, resolved to reinstate the statue at the same place if his party was voted to power.

Accordingly, immediately after assuming power for the record fifth time, Mr Karunanidhi put Kannagi back on her pedestal on the beach front of the Bay of Bengal with a fresh coat of paint, fulfilling his vow.

UNI