Will back Bharat Ratna for Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar: CM Stalin
The demand to confer the Bharat Ratna on late freedom fighter Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar gained renewed momentum on Thursday — his 118th birth anniversary and 63rd Guru Poojai — with leaders across the political spectrum voicing support for the move.
Responding to AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami’s letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah recommending the honour for Thevar, Chief Minister M K Stalin said, “The TN government will back the recommendation.” MDMK general secretary Vaiko also endorsed the demand, while AMMK leader T T V Dhinakaran said conferring the Bharat Ratna on Thevar was part of his party’s manifesto.
Vice President of India C P Radhakrishnan and CM Stalin both paid floral tributes at Thevar’s memorial at Pasumpon village, marking the occasion. During the fete, the CM announced that a new marriage hall will be constructed in the village at a cost of Rs 3 crore.
Having arrived in Pasumpon in an IAF helicopter, the Vice President said that honouring Thevar was akin to celebrating righteousness and the national spirit. “For the past 25 years, I have been visiting Pasumpon every year to pay my respects. This year, as Vice President, my first visit to TN had to begin here,” he said.
Radhakrishnan said Thevar was a spiritual and nationalist figure who transcended caste lines. “It is ignorant to think Thevar Ayya belonged only to one community. He led people from all sections of society and shared close ties with leaders across caste boundaries,” he said.