Time had come to protect social justice with the support of all people who should be ready for a big fight, said Tamil Nadu Sports and Youth Welfare Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin here on Monday.
Paying homage at Tyagi Immanuel Sekaran’s samadhi on the occasion of his 66th death anniversary, Mr. Udhayanidhi told media persons that stalwarts like Tyagi Immanuel Sekaran, who had fought for the downtrodden, should not be forgotten. His contributions to Quit India Movement and his sacrifice in prisons were remarkable, he added.
The younger generation should imbibe the ideologies of leaders like Tyagi Immanuel Sekaran. His family members and the people from this region had made a representation to Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to construct a ‘Manimandapam’ in memory of the late leader, following which the government announced building of the memorial near the samadhi with the life size statue of Tyagi Immanuel Sekaran at a cost of ₹3 crore.
Ministers Raja Kannappan, K.R. Periakaruppan, P. Moorthy, Kayalvizhi, MP Nawaz Kani, MLAs Muthuramalingam and Murugesan and former MP Bhavani Rajendran paid tributes at the samadhi.
BJP leader K. Annamalai and other leaders paid tributes at the samadhi. Mr. Annamalai told reporters that the party’s request to build a Manimandapam had been ceded to by the government. Thanking the Chief Minister for the announcement, Mr. Annamalai recalled the rich contributions made by the late leader for society and hoped that the Manimandapam would be ready by next October when the centenary of the late leader would be celebrated.
AIADMK leaders, led by former Ministers R.B. Udayakumar, Manikandan, Rajalakshmi and former MP Anwar Raja, placed a wreath on the samadhi. Leaders from the Congress, led by MLA Selvaperunthagai, paid rich tributes to Tyagi Immanuel Sekaran.
Puthiya Tamilagam Katchi leader K. Krishnasamy and Tamilaga Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam leader John Pandian also paid homage at the samadhi.
Born on October 9, 1924, at Sellur village of Mudukulathur block in Ramanathapuram district, Tyagi Immanuel Sekaran fought for the rights of the oppressed classes. His daughter Suriya Sundari Prabha Rani and grandson Chakravarthi had appealed to the government to build a memorial for him.
Elaborate security arrangements made by police ensured peaceful passing of the event. Police officers, led by Superintendent of Police P. Thangadurai, said entry of vehicles was regulated since early morning. After major political party leaders and Ministers visited the samadhi, people turned up at the cite in large numbers till 6 p.m.
Heightened vigil and use of drone cameras and CCTVs in the district helped the police regulate the crowd. In addition, the police had set up check posts around the samadhi, they added.
