DMK Denies Allegation It Blocked Kamaraj's Marina Burial

In a spirited defense on the Tamil Nadu Assembly floor, Senior DMK leader Thangam Thennarasu categorically denied long-standing allegations that his party’s government had refused a burial site on Chennai’s Marina beach for Congress stalwart K. Kamaraj back in 1975.

Historical Context and Rebuttal

Thennarasu, responding to Congress leader Tharahai Cuthbert’s claim from the previous day, reached deep into the archives. He quoted extensively from a speech by Congress leader Rajaram Naidu in the Legislative Council, painting a picture of collaboration, not conflict, between the two rival parties during a moment of profound loss.

According to Naidu’s account, the Congress’s own plan was never to seek a government-sanctioned burial on the Marina. They intended to keep Kamaraj’s body at the Teynampet Congress ground, cremate him there, and build a memorial. They expected no state honors.

A Story of Cross-Party Respect

Thennarasu’s retelling shifted the mood in the chamber. He described how then Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi and his cabinet colleagues arrived at Kamaraj’s residence looking as if they had “lost one of their brothers.” Karunanidhi didn’t wait to be asked; he intuitively offered Rajaji Hall for the public to pay respects, solving a logistical crisis for the grieving Congress leaders.

“The Chief Minister and his Cabinet colleagues looked as if they had lost one of their brothers and did not consider it the death of a leader of another political party,”

The assistance didn’t stop there. Naidu’s speech, as quoted by Thennarasu, detailed how Karunanidhi took Congress leaders to the Gandhi Memorial site. Using car headlights through the night, they cleared bushes and trees together to prepare the burial site—a powerful image of political camaraderie that feels almost foreign today.

Legacy and Rebuttal

Thennarasu bolstered his argument by reminding the assembly that the DMK government had later renamed Beach Road after Kamaraj. He also noted that when the AIADMK government wanted to install Kamaraj’s portrait in the Assembly, it was Karunanidhi who wrote the caption: “Hard work elevates.”

Speaker J.C.D. Prabhakar observed that the incident stood as a testament to an era when leaders could set aside differences to show mutual respect. Not fully conceding, Cuthbert maintained her allegation about the denied burial site but promised to produce evidence the following day, ensuring the debate is far from over.