Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Friday hailed Dravidar Kazhagam (DK) president ‘Asiriyar’ K. Veeramani, recalling he had protected him (along with late Chitti Babu) by taking the blows from policemen when he was jailed during the Emergency in 1976.
He added that the DK leader continued to protect him by always being the first to defend the DMK and the State government when criticised by the Opposition.
Speaking at the 90th birthday celebrations of Mr. Veeramani at Kalaivanar Arangam, in Chennai, the Chief Minister said, “Even yesterday (Thursday), he wrote a statement criticising Governor R.N. Ravi for not granting assent to the Bill banning online gambling. I heard he was told that it could have been done after December 2, but he said he was ready to celebrate his birthday in jail.”
Mr. Stalin spoke about how Mr. Veeramani started his activism at a very young age. “He started speaking on the stage in Cuddalore when he was 10. At 11, he spoke at a public meeting in Salem. He presided over another public meeting at Nagapattinam when he was 12. He raised the DK flag in Thiruthiraipoondi at 13, and a log of wood was thrown at him while speaking in Cuddalore at 14. At 25, he wrote the basic idea for the protest against the Indian Constitution, and at 30, he became the editor of Viduthalai.”
The DMK leader added, “After Kalaignar(M. Karunanidhi) passed away, he was instrumental in supporting me in implementing the ‘Dravidian Model’ of governance. He is a lawyer, writer, speaker, leader, activist, journalist, administrator and so on. He has even sung songs along with Nagoor Hanifa and has acted in a scene in one of Kalaignar’s plays. If Kalaignar was alive today, he would have attended this function as a 99-year-old.”
Mr. Stalin also received the K. Veeramani Award For Social Justice from Periyar Pannattu Amaippu in recognition of his commitment and leadership in the practice of the Dravidian Model of social equity and inclusive growth.
MDMK chief Vaiko said Mr. Veeramani got an opportunity to speak at the meeting in Salem in 1944 in which the Justice Party was renamed as the Dravidar Kazhagam. “He seconded one of the resolutions read out by Annadurai. Nobody today could claim to have spoken at that public meeting. He stood by Periyar (E.V. Ramasamy) always even when the split (DK-DMK) happened,” he said.
Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi founder Thol. Thirumavalavan, blew the poll bugle stating that the DMK alliance partners should be ready for 2024 Lok Sabha elections as it is not just ‘another election’ and nobody can save the nation if the BJP retains power.
“Mr. Veeramani has said it is important to reiterate that it is a generational, ideological war. DK is not an organisation that is concerned with elections but even its president has said that the 2024 Lok Sabha election is not the usual election but one which is a new dimension to an ideological war,” he said.
The DMK alliance will win all 40 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry under the leadership of Mr. Stalin, Mr. Thirumavalavan said and added that it was to the DMK leader’s credit that the alliance remained strong. “It is the need of the hour to unite democratic forces in the country,” he said.
Mr. Veeramani said the time had come to join forces by sounding the bell and the one-and-a-half years of DMK government had attracted the people. “We will stand in front of you as protection. Nobody thought that we will be sitting like this and speaking on stage when we were in jail (during Emergency). People are ready to take them on (RSS and BJP), and we are here to prepare the people,” he said.
