CM Vijay Apologises Over Minister’s Karunanidhi Reference

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay offered an immediate apology in the Assembly on Monday after a minister referred to former CM M Karunanidhi directly by name omiting the traditional respectful honorifics.State Forest Minister R V Ranjith Kumar's remarks mentioning the DMK stalwart's name without affixing "Kalaignar" (scholar) as is the tradition in addressing him in the Assembly, drew spontaneous protest by the opposition DMK.

The CM intervened to defuse opposition protest over the breach of decorum, conceding that



addressing the late leader in such a manner was wrong and offered an explicit apology on his minister's behalf. "I apologise on his behalf," Vijay said, defusing the tension in the Assembly. 

The trouble began when Ranjith Kumar, during a debate on the demands for grants for the Health and Revenue departments, criticised past cash-for-votes strategies, referencing the controversial "Thirumangalam formula" and claimed that up to Rs 1,500 per vote had been distributed in his Kancheepuram constituency in previous elections.