Will order probe on 'Karunanidhi house arrest,' claim in purported 'Raja audio': Palaniswami

"Mr Stalin, don't vent your anger on me, direct it on your deputy general secretary and former union minister A Raja, who released the audio which went viral," Palaniswami said.

Tiruvannamalai (Tamil Nadu): AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami asked Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin to direct his anger on his party leader A Raja for purportedly making a remark saying his father M Karunanidhi was kept in "house arrest" in his final days, and said on Saturday that he would order a state-led probe into the viral audio when AIADMK formed the government post the April 23 polls.

Referring to his earlier comments on the subject, Palaniswami said he had quoted the viral audio in which DMK deputy general secretary A Raja purportedly claimed that Stalin had kept his father "under house arrest" during his final days. Also, Stalin's elder brother and former union minister M K Alagiri had gone on record saying that "my father is being held as a prisoner," Palaniswami said at an election rally at Arani in the district.

"Mr Stalin, don't vent your anger on me, direct it on your deputy general secretary and former union minister A Raja, who released the audio which went viral. I had mentioned what Raja said in his audio message. Why get annoyed? Show your anger at Raja, and he will tell the truth. There's no use in showing your displeasure with me," Palaniswami said.

After the audio went viral, the DMK party members and the public were debating whether the incident had happened or not. "I had only said what Raja had disclosed. Is it fair to confine your own father, who made you the working president of DMK, to his house during his last days? Your elder brother Alagiri had said that his father was being held as a prisoner," the former chief minister said.

Recalling Stalin's promise ahead of the 2021 Assembly election on ordering a probe into the 2016 death of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and her 75-day hospitalisation, Palaniswami said, "You said you will order a probe into the former chief minister's demise. Karunanidhi is also a former chief minister. The AIADMK will order a state-led probe into the Raja's audio and take appropriate legal action," Palaniswami said.

The chief minister, however, dismissed the allegation as baseless and offensive and cautioned Palaniswami to restrict his criticism to his (Stalin's) performance as chief minister. Stalin said his father was resting due to age-related ailments and that Palaniswami "crossed all red lines." The AIADMK general secretary also cautioned Stalin to maintain a political decorum in criticising him.

Also, appropriate action will be taken on the officials whose actions led to the acquittal of former DMK minister K Ponmudi in the 2012 red sand quarry case, he said.

A Villupuram court has earlier this week acquitted Ponmudi and six others on the grounds of "weak evidence" submitted by the district administration.