CM Vijay Apologises in Assembly After Minister Omits Karunanidhi Honorific

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay offered an immediate apology in the Legislative Assembly in Chennai on Monday after State Forest Minister R V Ranjith Kumar referred to former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi directly by name without traditional honorifics.

The remarks triggered spontaneous protests from the opposition DMK members, leading Chief Minister Vijay to intervene directly in the House to defuse the confrontation over legislative decorum.

The controversy arose during a debate on the demands for grants for the Health and Revenue departments. While speaking on election practices, Ranjith Kumar criticised past cash-for-votes strategies, referring to the "Thirumangalam formula" and claiming that up to Rs 1,500 per vote had been distributed in his Kancheepuram constituency in previous elections.

The Forest Minister drew a contrast between those past elections and the current administration, stating that the present government came to power without distributing money for votes. However, while detailing these political tactics, he referred to the late DMK stalwart directly as "Karunanidhi," omitting the customary honorific "Kalaignar" or the title of former Chief Minister.

The omission violated a long-standing convention of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, where revered leaders are traditionally addressed using formal protocol titles. Opposition DMK members, led by former minister K K S S R Ramachandran, protested immediately and loudly from their seats.

Seeking to de-escalate the rising tension before the debate could derail, Vijay halted the Forest Minister mid-speech. The Chief Minister acknowledged that referring to the late leader in that manner was inappropriate, conceding that addressing him in such a manner was wrong.

"I apologise on his behalf," Vijay stated on the floor of the House, successfully defusing the tension in the Assembly.