Contending that the former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam had served the country immensely besides inspiring several persons and hence he should be seen beyond his community, the State government on Tuesday discouraged opinions expressed in the Assembly against installing the statue for the ‘Bharat Ratna’ awardee in his native Rameswaram.
‘Idol worship’
During his speech on the debate for demand for grants in the House, Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leader K.A.M. Muhammed Abubacker (Kadayanallur) welcomed the government’s decision to institute awards in the name of the late President, but said that ‘idol worship’ was against Islam, indirectly referring to the installation of the statue of former President recently.
Information Technology Minister M. Manikandan, who had attended the unveiling of the statue in Rameswaram last month, said Mr. Kalam had served the country immensely and should be seen beyond his community. When AIADMK legislator M. Thamimun Ansari (Nagapattinam) sought to speak on the issue, he was not given a chance.
Later, Speaker P. Dhanapal intervened to say it has been covered already and asked the AIADMK legislator to move on to the next subject. Mr. Ansari, however, registered his opinion.
