Verse for verse: Karunanidhi blunts CPI barbs!

Chennai, Oct 11 (UNI) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK President M Karunanidhi today hit out at the Communist Party of India (CPI) for coming out with a poem in its official organ, decrying his poetess daughter and Rajya Sabha member Kanimozhi.

In a poem, Mr Karunanidhi also took exception to the Left party ridiculing him for his writing poems in recent times. Even veteran Communist leader late Jeeva had penned poems to express his views, he pointed out.

Referring to the poem in CPI official organ ''Janasakthi'' that Kanimozhi was waiting in the wings for a ministerial berth at the Centre, the DMK leader, virtually defending his daughter becoming a minister, pointed out how veteran Communist leader Subbrayan and his son and grandson became ministers.

Mr Karunanidhi, who also recalled the services being rendered by his daughter in various spheres, said Ms Kanimozhi had all qualifications to become a minsiter.

However, after Communist leader Subbarayan became a minister, his son Mohan Kumaramangalam also became a minister. Later, his son Rangarajan Kumaramangalam became a minsiter at the Centre, he recalled.

''Did these people become ministers because of their capacity or family background,'' the DMK leader asked.

The same CPI had affectionately invited Ms Kanimozhi to take part in functions organied by the party, he also pointed out.

Mr Karunanidhi took pride that Ms Kanimozhi, after becoming Rajya Sabha member, was serving in various fields, including social, arts, literature and education, besides working tirelessly for the women's emancipation.

He said the DMK wanted to avoid confronation with political parties in the state at a time when the war for Eelam-seperate Tamil land, in Sri Lanka was going on. But the CPI was trying to provoke it, following the footsteps of AIADMK leader J Jayalalithaa.

''However, a volcano would not erupt if we continue to remain cool,'' Mr Karunanidhi said.

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