Chennai: Former DMK minister Thangam Thennarasu on Tuesday rejected Congress floor leader Tharahai Cuthbert’s charge that the then DMK govt had denied land on Marina Beach for former chief minister K Kamaraj’s memorial. He said there was no request raised for Kamaraj’s memorial in Marina and termed Cuthbert’s charge as ‘factually incorrect’.Thennarasu cited the statement of then Congress leaders Pazha Nedumaran and Rajaram Naidu, and said former chief minister M Karunanidhi had personally ensured Kamaraj was accorded full state honours and made arrangements for his memorial.Cuthbert alleged on Monday that the then DMK govt had denied a place on Marina for Kamaraj’s memorial. Denying the charge, Thennarasu read out Rajaram Naidu’s remarks in assembly, in which the Opposition leader had praised Karunanidhi for giving Kamaraj a fitting farewell “like his own brother”. Naidu had also recalled how Karunanidhi personally supervised arrangements overnight at Gandhi Mandapam.Though Cuthbert defended her statement speaker J C D Prabhakar denied permission for her to continue her speech, stating that the former minister produced ample evidence from assembly’s archives and put the issue to an end.
