Tamil Nadu CM apologizes over minister's Karunanidhi reference without honorifics

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay apologised in the state Assembly on Monday after Forest Minister R V Ranjith Kumar referred to the late former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi simply by name, without the customary honorifics, triggering immediate protests from the opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. The intervention calmed tensions and allowed the legislative debate to resume.

The incident occurred during a debate on the demands for grants for the Health and Revenue departments. In his speech, Minister Ranjith Kumar criticised earlier cash-for-votes practices, referencing the controversial "Thirumangalam formula" and claiming that in previous elections, voters in his Kancheepuram constituency had received as much as Rs 1,500 per vote. Contrasting those past practices with the current administration, he argued the present government came to power without distributing money to voters.

While making this argument, the minister mentioned Karunanidhi simply as "Karunanidhi," omitting the widely used honorific "Kalaignar" or the title "former Chief Minister." This prompted loud objections from DMK members, led by former minister K K S S R Ramachandran, who considered the...