Karuna slams Karat for calling DMK family controlled party

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Hitting back at CPI-M general secretary Prakash Karat for allegedly calling DMK a 'family controlled party', chief minister M. Karunanidhi on Thursday sought to turn the tables on the communist leader, reminding him that his wife is working with him in their party.

"He (Karat) has described DMK as Kudumba Munnetra Kazhagam (family development party). Mrs Brinda Karat, who works along with him, is the answer for this charge," Karunanidhi said, without elaborating.

Writing in the DMK mouthpiece 'Murasoli', Karunanidhi rued that Karat was ignorant of the "good words" spoken by CPI-M veteran, the late EMS Namboodiripad about the Dravidian party.

The DMK patriarch's caustic reply came in response to Karat's reported comments in CPI-M's mouthpiece 'Thekkathir,' (Tamil) that DMK, "known for voicing its views on Central-state relations and state autonomy, has been relegated to a family-controlled party, with the money looted by it used in elections to retain power."

Karunanidhi in his article recalled the many visits of Karat to his house a few years ago, especially at the height of Indo-US nuclear agreement over which the Congress and its then ally Left were divided.

"I don't know why Karat, a friend who found place in my heart, is spreading canards. I can't find an answer to why he is doing like this," he said.

Responding to Karat's reported allegation that he was "desperate" to retain power, Karunanidhi recalled the words of Namboodiripad saying, "even during emergency period Tamil Nadu was the only place with the air of freedom."

"I pity that Karat is not aware of that or he has forgotten that," Karunanidhi said.

The left parties, who were part of the DMK alliance in the last Assembly polls, had contested the recently held elections as part of DMK's bitter rival, the AIADMK-led front.