Karunanidhi turns satirist on Pala. Nedumaran

(August 27, Chennai, Sri Lanka Guardian) Touched to the quick by remarks or actions he deems injurious to himself, Karunanidhi has been in recent days wielding his pen with vigour. As his poems figure prominently in the DMK’s organ, Murasoli, political leaders and journalists engage in a guessing game as to who is the latest target. This time, the case is Tamil nationalist leader P Nedumaran on Tuesday.

Murasoli readers were treated to a scathing denunciation, in verse, of Nedumaran, a prominent LTTE supporter.

Describing him variously as Vibhishana, Sugreeva and Ettappan, all associated in myth or history with betrayal, Karunanidhi attacked Nedumaran for being disloyal to late Congress leaders K Kamaraj and G K Moopanar, among others. And the most stinging lines came later: “This traitor to his race works painlessly, stabs the horde of tigers in the back, even while extorting money,” it said. The allegation was that Nedumaran was using the name of the LTTE to raise money, but betraying them in the process.

The immediate provocation was an article in a Tamil daily written by Nedumaran, adversely comparing Karunanidhi to King Dasaratha.

The essence of the article was that while the king of Ayodhya had taken a cue from his very first strand of grey hair to conclude that it was time for him to hand over the sceptre to Ram, his eldest son, Karunanidhi was clinging to his office and not handing over power to his successor.
- Sri Lanka Guardian