The poem, nevertheless, provided an interesting insight into Karunanidhi’s thoughts on an outfit he had warily distanced himself from since the dismissal of his government in 1991 for “encouraging” the outfit and even “passing on official secrets conveyed to him by then Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar.”

With the arrest of Vaiko and others, Karunanidhi is seen to be doing a tight rope walk — trying not to be branded as an ‘anti-Tamil’ by paying tributes to Tamilselvan and trying not to antagonise his Congress allies by preventing pro-LTTE groups from displaying open adulation for the banned outfit.

No doubt, the verses would continue to flow from the veteran politician, whether to subtly hit out at his detractors or convey his anger or sadness on an issue that has touched a raw nerve. But the strident reactions to his latest piece of poetry, the elegy to Tamilselvan, could stem the spontaniety of Karunanidhi’s poetic flow. At least that of a politically sensitive nature.