Animosity of Dravidian parties refuses to die down

DMK’s victory in the high court to have the mortals remains of its patriarch Karunanidhi buried at Marina Beach next to party founder Annadurai may have soothed frayed tempers but underlined the rivalry between DMK and AIADMK transcends even death. It appeared to indicate the beginning of another wave of hostility between the two Dravidian parties, whose mutual animosity has defined the brand of politics in Tamil Nadu since the 1970s.

The Madras High Court had dismissed all petitions challenging construction of a memorial for former chief minister J Jayalalithaa, ahead of allowing for directions to the current government to permit burial for Karunanidhi on the Marina. Senior advocate S Duraiswamy, who had four cases against the constructions, had withdrawn his petitions on Tuesday.

Top sources in the DMK told ETthat the government had been “dilly-dallying” for some time. Amid speculation that there were external forces behind Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami’s decision to disallow a place near the Marina, sources at the top level in the government said the wrangle between the state and the DMK over the memorial has benefited the AIADMK. It has flattened all cases filed against a memorial for J Jayalalithaa at the Marina.