‘Muthuramalinga Thevar rose above caste’
Leaders of various political parties who paid respects to Muthuramalinga Thevar on the occasion of his Guru Pooja, on Sunday, praised him as the leader who had risen above caste and creed.
By : migrator
Update: 2016-10-30 18:38 GMT
Madurai
AIADMK leaders were the first to pay respect to the Thevar at his memorial. They garlanded his statue at Madurai and then proceeded towards Pasumpon. Host of State Ministers including O Panneerselvam, Sellur K Raju, RB Udayakumar, OS Manian, G Baskar, M Manikandan and others placed wreaths on the memorial of Muthuramalinga Thevar and paid respects.
AIADMK leaders were followed by MDMK leader Vaiko who placed a wreath on the memorial and then met the media.
He claimed that he was visiting the memorial of Muthuramalinga Thevar from 1972 and it was his 41st visit. Thevar was a man of great valour and raised above caste. He had dedicated his life for communal harmony and worked for the welfare of all communities claimed Vaiko.
DMK Treasurer, M K Stalin, after paying respects at the memorial met the media and claimed that the DMK had done a lot for the Thevar community. It was during its regime under its Supremo M Karunanidhi, the memorial of Muthuramalinga Thevar was renovated. They had also constructed the mammoth Thevar statue at Madurai and a college in the name of Muthuramalinga Thevar.
He was followed by Tamil Manila Congress leader GK Vasan, who also paid respects to Muthuramalinga Thevar at the memorial. He claimed that nationalism and spirituality were two eyes for Muthuramalinga Thevar who dedicated his entire life for communal harmony. He did not belong to a single caste but worked for the upliftment of the community as a whole claimed Vasan. Similarly leaders like Tamil Nadu Congress President, Thirunavukkarasar, PMK leader GKMani and Union Minister, Pon Radhakrishnan placed wreaths on the memorial of Muthuramalinga Thevar and praised him for working for the welfare of all communities.
Pon Radhakrishnan also claimed that the Central government is mulling to construct an outer ring road for Madurai at a cost of Rs.5,000 crores. The ring road would connect all the national highways passing via Madurai, he said.
Similarly, GK Mani claimed that the reservation in the state is not properly implemented and some of the communities despite having large population are not properly represented. Hence a compartmental reservation system similar to the system existing in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh should be implemented in Tamil Nadu too demanded Mani.
Thousands pay homage to leader
Thevar jayanthi festival turned out to be a huge crowd puller at Pasumpon, the native village of Muthuramalinga Thevar at Ramanathapuram district. Thousands gathered to pay respects to the Thevar, on the occasion of 109th birth anniversary and 54th Guru Pooja function on Sunday.
The three-day Guru Pooja function commenced on Friday and special prayers were offered for Muthuramalinga Thevar. The function continued on Saturday where locals paid respect and various events were organised. Leaders of several caste outfits along with their supporters paid respects. Large number of women from nearby villages took a Mulaipari and performed milk abishegam to the statue of Thevar and there were others who offered their hair as a mark of respect.
Some of the ardent followers of Thevar reached Pasumpon by foot. Food was provided free to more than 30, 000 people during the occasion. The crowds swelled in the noon after the visit of political leaders. Raising slogans in favour of the Thevar, people reached the memorial in vans, buses and cars and some were even seen dancing on top of the vehicles. In the evening, a government function was organised and State Ministers and officials of district administration paid respect to him.
A government exhibition that was set up near the memorial showcased the achievements of the State government.
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