Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Monday stepped in to calm an uproar in the state Assembly and apologised after Forest Minister R V Ranjith Kumar referred to former chief minister and DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi by name without using the customary honorific “Kalaignar”.
The reference triggered an immediate protest from opposition DMK members, who objected to what they described as a breach of the traditional protocol followed while referring to the late leader in the Assembly.
Vijay intervened while Ranjith Kumar was speaking and acknowledged that Karunanidhi should not have been referred to in that manner.
"I apologise on his behalf," Vijay said, bringing the tension in the House under control.
What Triggered The Row?
The controversy broke out during a debate on the demands for grants for the Health and Revenue departments.
Ranjith Kumar was speaking about alleged cash-for-votes practices during previous elections and referred to the controversial “Thirumangalam formula”. He claimed that voters in his Kancheepuram constituency had received as much as ₹1,500 per vote during earlier elections.
The minister then contrasted those elections with the present administration, saying the current government had come to power without distributing money to voters in exchange for their votes.
While discussing election strategies, Ranjith Kumar referred to Karunanidhi simply by his name.
He did not use “Kalaignar”, a traditional honorific used for the former chief minister, or refer to him as the former chief minister.
DMK Members Raise Objections
The reference immediately drew protests from DMK legislators in the Assembly.
Former minister K K S S R Ramachandran was among those who led the objections as opposition members protested the manner in which Karunanidhi had been referred to.
The incident was seen as a breach of the convention in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, where prominent former leaders are generally addressed using their recognised titles or honorifics.
As the protests intensified, Vijay intervened to prevent the disagreement from disrupting the proceedings.
The Chief Minister stopped the Forest Minister while he was speaking and acknowledged that referring to the late DMK leader without the customary respectful form of address was inappropriate.
He then issued an apology on the minister's behalf.
"I apologise on his behalf," Vijay said.
The intervention brought the immediate confrontation to an end and allowed the Assembly proceedings to continue.
The episode comes during a politically charged debate over election practices, with Ranjith Kumar's remarks on alleged cash-for-votes practices becoming the backdrop to the dispute over how Karunanidhi was addressed.
