DMK president M. Karunanidhi on Tuesday said that the declaration for celebrating the Tamil New Year on the first day of the Tamil month Thai was made based on the call given by a meeting of 500 Tamil poets chaired by Maraimalai Adigal in 1921.
When his opinion was sought on the decision of the government to repeal the Act enacted by the DMK government, Mr. Karunanidhi told reporters that the poets discussed the issue in-depth and announced a fresh calendar known as Tiruvalluvar era and decided that Tamil New Year should begin on the first day of Thai.
On the objection of the two Communist parties to the Act brought in by the AIADMK government, he said, “I salute their Tamil sentiments.”
