The Union Finance Ministry has approved the issuance of a commemorative coin “honoring” the late DMK patriarch M. Karunanidhi, following a request from the DMK government in Tamil Nadu. A notification has also been published in the Government Gazette regarding the same.
The MK Stalin-led DMK government in Tamil Nadu had proposed to the Union government to mark the birth centenary of Karunanidhi with a commemorative coin that says “Mutthamizh Arignar Kalaignar Dr. M. Karunanidhi”. Last year, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s administration requested the Central Finance Ministry to issue the ₹100 commemorative coin on June 3 to mark Karunanidhi’s 100th birthday. However, due to procedural delays, the coin was not released on the specified date. With all procedures now completed, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has given the approval for the coin.
According to reports, the Karunanidhi commemorative coin will feature the words “Tamil Vellum” in both Hindi and English, along with the name “Dr. Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi.”
In addition to the Karunanidhi coin, the Finance Ministry has also approved commemorative coins for the 75th anniversary of the Supreme Court and the centenary of the Mumbai Stock Exchange.
Previously, commemorative coins have been issued in honor of Tamil Nadu leaders, including former Chief Ministers Kamaraj, CN Annadurai, and AIADMK founder Dr. MG Ramachandran, as well as various artists.
For the Karunanidhi coin, a specimen drawing was obtained from the Tamil Nadu government and finalized by the Union Finance Ministry.
Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu government’s request for a commemorative coin for former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa remains pending. In 2020, then Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami submitted a request to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, but the Central government has been reluctant to issue the coin due to Jayalalithaa’s conviction in a corruption case.
India began issuing commemorative coins in 1964, with the first coin honoring Jawaharlal Nehru, the country’s first Prime Minister. These coins are issued by the Reserve Bank of India under the directives of the Ministry of Finance.
About Karunanidhi
Born as Dakshinamurthy, Karunanidhi went on to become the DMK president after its founder CN Annadurai. Karunanidhi’s ascension to the top post made the DMK a dynastic party with the party coming under the stranglehold of his family. Karunanidhi has made several controversial statements regarding Hindus and Hinduism. One such remark in 2002, Karunanidhi referred to Hindus as ‘thieves’.
At that time, Karunanidhi argued that all he said was that even those who supported the Hindu religion interpret the word Hindu as thief. “Maybe it means someone who steals the heart.”, he had said during the controversy.
In 2007 the Sethusamudram project was withdrawn due to technical difficulties of shallow water. At the backdrop, Karunanidhi rhetorically asked, “Who is this Raman? In which engineering college did he study and become a civil engineer? When did he build this so-called bridge? Is there any evidence for this?”
Karunanidhi has also written short stories and sometimes employed Hindu deities as characters in his stories, often distorting and misrepresenting them with sexual perversion.
He has also abused his political opponents. There are several instances where the late former Chief Minister Karunanidhi insulted and mocked Kamaraj. During his tenure as Chief Minister, the late DMK leader Karunanidhi mandated that all panchayat council chiefs be addressed as “Perunthalaivar.” However, this directive was rescinded on 3 April 1987 after MG Ramachandran (MGR) assumed power. Several cartoons mocking Kamarajar (sometimes with racist and casteist insinuations) were published in DMK’s official mouthpiece.
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