CPI condemns Guv Ravi’s attempt to saffronise Tiruvalluvar
the Tamil saint was shown wearing rudraksha beads with sacred ash smeared on his forehead. Thiruvalluvar has been depicted only in white robes in the State to date.
CPI state secretary R Mutharasan
CHENNAI: CPI state secretary R Mutharasan on Saturday accused Governor RN Ravi of converting the Raj Bhavan into a political party office through his alleged attempt to saffronise Tamil savant Thiruvalluvar.
He alleged that the Governor was trying to disturb peace in the State. The latest attempt was to portray Thiruvalluvar in saffron robes with religious symbols, Mutharasan said, referring to the image printed on the Raj Bhavan invitation for a two-day multi-lingual international seminar on "A comparative study on Saint Thiruvalluvar - Kabir Das- Yogi Vemana," held on Saturday.
In the image, the Tamil saint was shown wearing rudraksha beads with sacred ash smeared on his forehead. Thiruvalluvar has been depicted only in white robes in the State to date.
"RN Ravi has turned the Raj Bhavan into a political party secretariat and is engaging in cheap political activities. Beginning from the early days of his assumption of office, the activities of the Governor have come under severe criticism. At times even the Supreme Court has criticised the Governor's actions," Mutharasan said.
Calling upon the people to reject the Governor's attempt to saffronise Thiruvalluvar, V Ranganathan, president of, the Tamil Nadu Association for Trained Archakas, said some people would not change even if Thiruvalluvar himself came alive and clarified.
In May 2024, the Governor paid floral tributes to a portrait of Thiruvalluvar in which the saint was shown in saffron with rudrakasha and even then, it was opposed by political parties. For several years now, the BJP had often depicted Thiruvalluvar in saffron clothes and the party leaders had claimed that he was a Hindu saint, which stoked controversies.
