Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu’s address after unveiling the statue of late M Karunanidhi at Kalaivanar Arangam, Chennai.
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday unveiled a bronze statue of late DMK president and former chief minister M Karunanidhi and hailed the Dravidian veteran as one of India’s most dynamic chief ministers, who has left a legacy of development and social welfare. Karunanidhi rose to a coveted stature with his efforts and never failed to promote Tamil language and culture, Naidu said, even as he urged people to learn his mother tongue and said that he should be inclined towards other languages. Hate should not be developed.
He urged, “We should not oppose any language but support our mother tongue. There should be no imposition or opposition on any language. Learn more and more languages including foreign languages.” After unveiling a 16-feet tall bronze statue of Karunanidhi, Naidu said it was very important to agree to disagree in a democracy. Politicians should respect each other in public life. “People from different parties have different views. We are not enemies. We are only political rivals. This is my advice to young politicians,” he said. He found it interesting to argue with Kalaignar, as Karunanidhi was addressed respectfully and at times differed from his views.
Karunanidhi was not only associated with his ideology but also worked for the welfare of the people with dedication, dynamism and discipline. “He was one of the most dynamic Chief Ministers of India,” the Vice President said. He recalled that the late leader had opposed the imposition of Emergency by the then Prime Minister, late Indira Gandhi “in clear and unambiguous words. With India becoming stronger under the able leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, now is the right time for all Work together for the welfare of Dalits, he said. “When the states develop, the country will progress. This thing should always be kept in mind. We are Team India. Let us forget political differences and work together.”
Stating that he was “really happy” to unveil Karunanidhi’s statue ahead of his birth anniversary on June 3, Naidu said he had the least hesitation in accepting the invitation to attend the event. He said, “I accepted the invitation immediately. Karunanidhi is an able administrator who gave stable governance and worked for the welfare of downtrodden, oppressed and downtrodden classes.” Naidu said he was observing the speeches of late Karunanidhi and other Tamil Nadu leaders in his native Nellore in Andhra Pradesh and found the DMK leader the best speaker in the country. “He had clarity in vision. The way he expressed it was great and it impressed me, though I had my own political leanings,” Naidu said.
Recalling the arrest of the Dravidian veteran in 2001 by the then AIADMK government in the state, Naidu said he stood by the leader in the hour of crisis.
Karunanidhi was a shrewd politician who won every election and led his party for half a century. As CM, he left an enduring legacy of development and social welfare. The Vice President said that talented orators are among the list of eminent leaders who have put people at the center of their work. “Thanks to leaders like him, the country has strengthened its federal character and as Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, the country has emerged as a strong Team India,” Naidu said at the event organized here at Kalaivanar Arangam. also participated.
He said that Karunanidhi’s multi-faceted work has had a lasting impact on the socio-political landscape of Tamil Nadu. Describing Karunanidhi as the “father of modern Tamil Nadu”, Chief Minister MK Stalin said his father Kalaignar was a multi-faceted personality who sacrificed his life for the oppressed classes. Stalin said, “He had a long-term vision and the complex where his statue is installed was constructed by him for the Tamil Nadu Assembly Complex, but now it is functioning as a hospital.” He thanked Naidu and former Prime Minister Late Atal Bihari Vajpayee for supporting his father during his arrest in 2001.
Earlier, the Vice President unveiled the statue of the five-time Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, the Dravidian stalwart in Stalin’s presence in the premises of the Multi Super Specialty Government Hospital at Omandurar Estate here. The idol is placed a few hundred meters away from the spot where the original idol was vandalized after the death of AIADMK founder MG Ramachandran 35 years ago. The 16-feet-tall bronze statue, which includes a depiction of Karunanidhi’s trademark goggles, which he wore for decades, is set on a 14-foot-high pedestal. After the formal unveiling, the Vice President along with the Chief Minister and other leaders paid floral tributes at the portrait of Karunanidhi placed near the statue.
Periyar (rationalist leader EV Ramasamy) wanted to install an idol of Karunanidhi. But after Periyar’s death his wife Maniammai took the initiative with the Dravida Kazhagam to install his statue on Anna Salai, Stalin said. “After the death of MGR, some evil forces vandalized the statue (as Ramachandran is affectionately addressed) due to political malice,” Stalin said in his letter to his DMK workers on Friday.
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