M Karunanidhi was kept under ‘house arrest’ for 2 years, TN govt to probe

New Delhi, Apr 08: AIADMK leader and Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami said that the Tamil Nadu government will probe M Karunanidhi's death.

Levelling the charge at an election rally here, the Chief Minister said the 94-year-old Karunanidhi, who passed away on August 7 last year, could have been taken abroad for treatment and indicated the AIADMK government could launch a probe into it.

Stalin, who succeeded Karunanidhi as DMK chief, has been harping on the 'circumstances' leading to the death of late chief minister Jayalalithaa in December 2016, saying if DMK comes to power, it would order a comprehensive probe into it.

In his Lok Sabha election campaigns, Stalin has been saying such a probe would 'unravel' the facts behind her death to Jayalalithaa's true followers.

Palaniswami said''I've info from senior DMK leaders that he was unable to speak for 2 years. If he would have been given a good treatment, MK Stalin couldn't have become DMK president. So Stalin made his father a house prisoner.''

Karunanidhi fell ill in October 2016 due to a drug induced allergy and was admitted to a private hospital in December 2016. He had undergone tracheostomy, a procedure to optimise his breathing.

The chief minister further added he was making these remarks based on "available information."

He also asked why Stalin was not made party chief when Karunanidhi was alive, and pointed out that the DMK chief came to the present post only after his father's demise.

Stalin was elected party President unopposed on August 28, 2018, weeks after his father passed away.

Karunanidhi passed away on August 7.

(with PTI inputs)