Likening the vengeful targeting of Tamil Nadu by the Modi government to the perennial attack of the Corona epidemic without respite, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Tuesday took pride in the state leapfrogging in growth and development despite the Union government’s vindictive discrimination.
File Photo: IANS
Likening the vengeful targeting of Tamil Nadu by the Modi government to the perennial attack of the Corona epidemic without respite, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Tuesday took pride in the state leapfrogging in growth and development despite the Union government’s vindictive discrimination.
“When we took over the reins of governance, we were in the middle of the second wave of the Corona epidemic. Subsequently, we faced the Union BJP government’s vengeful discrimination against Tamil Nadu like the perennial corona epidemic and natural disasters. Overcoming the forces that place hurdles in its path, Tamil Nadu remains a frontrunner in the country. Data from Union ministries and rankings confirms this,” he said in an epistle extending Pongal greetings to the party cadres and others.
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Describing Pongal as the cultural expression of Tamils, he said the festival is being celebrated by all, irrespective of caste, religion, wealth, or gender. The DMK units across the state are holding ‘Dravida Pongal’ in villages, while the Chief Minister himself celebrated ‘Equality Pongal’ at Kolathur, his assembly constituency. It was the late DMK patriarch and former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi who initiated and popularised the celebration of ‘Equality Pongal’ as a party programme.
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“It was Dravidian icons ‘Periyar’ (social reformer EV Ramasamy), ‘Anna’ (DMK founder and former Chief Minister, and Kalaignar (Karunanidhi), who were instrumental in redeeming Pongal, the distinctive Tamil festival, he said, adding that the DMK had been holding Pongal festivities for over 75 years, providing a platform for the traditional art and cultural forms of the land.
On Thursday, the first day of the Tamil month Thai and the commencement of the four-day festival, the Chief Minister is scheduled to inaugurate the bull-taming festival at Alanganallur near Madurai, famed for the sport, and in the evening launch the ‘Chennai Sangamam’, a confluence of traditional and folk arts across the city. Chennai Sangamam is the brainchild of DMK deputy general secretary Kanimozhi, MP, who is also the DMK Parliamentary Party Leader.
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