"Invisible undercurrents decide outcome of polls"

He unveils a marble bust of P.S. Kumarasamy Raja

February 12, 2011 11:23 pm | Updated October 10, 2016 06:45 am IST - RAJAPALAYAM:

Invisible undercurrents in society determine the outcome of elections and people in public life should bear it in mind that no one is indispensible and be cautious about the undercurrents, said Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram here on Saturday.

Unveiling a marble bust of former Chief Minister of Madras Presidency and former Governor of Orissa, P.S. Kumarasamy Raja, Mr. Chidambaram pointed out that Hosni Mubarak, who was worshipped as a hero for 30 years, was unseated by the undercurrent that sprang up suddenly in the last 15 days.

“People in public life should keep in mind that along with post and power come extravagance and arrogance. They think they are indispensible. But, society has several undercurrents that are not visible. Such people should make their political move accordingly,” he said.

Eulogising Kumarasamy Raja for his humility, Mr. Chidambaram said that this characteristic trait gave him the courage to treat both victory and defeat with equanimity. “Despite a defeat in elections, he continued his service to the nation.”

Kumarasamy Raja's residence was converted into a library.

The Minister recalled that he had urged the government to encourage young writers with generous grants to bring out new works, as kings in the past used to do. Books in all languages were being translated into English. Similarly, they were also translated in Russian and Chinese.

Chairman of Ramco Group, P.R. Ramasubrahmaneya Rajha, recalled that great leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Babu Rajendra Prasad had visited Kumarasamy Raja's residence in Rajapalayam.

He spoke the truth and upheld honesty in public life, he added.

Virudhunagar Collector, V.K. Shanmugam, spoke.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.