Speaking at the book launch of Deenadayal Upadhyay’s Dispersion of Thought and Integral Humanism at the Raj Bhavan in Chennai, Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi said that “colonised minds controlled India’s intellectual space,” and that Karl Marx, Rousseau, and Abraham Lincoln were “worshipped” at the expense of Indian scholars such as Deendayal Upadhyaya.
Following the event, DMK Minister Ponmudi issued a statement on February 22 criticising RN Ravi’s speech on Karl Marx.
He said, “The people of Tamil Nadu are paying attention on RN. Ravi, who has been appointed as the Governor of Tamil Nadu, but continues to behave as a political party figure rather than as a non-partisan governor for the state. The Governor, who has accepted the position and responsibility under the Constitution, is acting like a propaganda secretary of the party, talking about Sanatana Dharma, which is contrary to the secularism principle emphasised by the Indian Constitution.”
He added, “Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi made inappropriate remarks about Karl Marx, the father of socialism. Periyar was the first to publish the Communist Party Manifesto in Tamil, which was written by economist Karl Marx and his friend Friedrich Engels. Periyar and Anna were the ones who worked for the ultimate goal of the Dravidian movement, classless equality, as advocated by socialism.”
In this scenario, Tamil Nadu BJP President Annamalai slammed DMK Minister Ponmudi for his comments on Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi, citing instances when EV Ramasamy Naicker (hailed as ‘Periyar’ by his followers) expressed his opposition to the Communist Party of India.
Annamalai asked in a series of Tweets, “Would Ponmudi comment on Periyar’s criticism that youth should be wary of communists?”
He said, “I read Tamil Nadu Higher Education Minister Ponmudi’s statement criticising Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi. As usual, DMK’s statement is full of false pride and self bragging. Ponmudi has criticized the Governor’s comments on Karl Marx on February 21. But, will Ponmudi comment on DMK’s founding father Periyar’s remark in Trichy on February 21, 1943 that ‘Communism is a sweetened poison pill and that youth should beware of communists’?”
He further said, “If the minister has any doubts, he should read the book “Collected Works of Periyar EVR,” written by DK President K.Veeramani. I’m not sure why the minister is upset when Governor RN Ravi speaks proudly about the Tamil heritage, Thirukkural, and the freedom fighters. Why does the minister become enraged when Governor claims that GU Pope’s Thirukkural translation is incorrect?”
He went on to say, “Minister Ponmudi, who made one of his sons as a Member of Parliament and another as the president of the Cricket Association, talking about socialism is a DMK-specific irony. In his statement, Minister Ponmudi has somehow admitted the killing of an army soldier by a ruling party councilor. By failing to take action against that councillor on behalf of the party, the DMK has insulted the entire army. You continue to treat the Coimbatore suicide squad attack as a cylinder blast, so why are you exaggerating the moral outrage of the patriotic ex-soldiers who lost their brothers?”
“Whenever people raise questions about your administration’s problems, law and order failures, etc., I urge you not to engage in dirty attempts to divert the people’s attention by blaming the governor,” he said.
தமிழக ஆளுநர் உயர்திரு ஆர்.என்.ரவி அவர்களை விமர்சித்து, தமிழக உயர்கல்வித்துறை அமைச்சர் பொன்முடி வெளியிட்டுள்ள அறிக்கையைப் படித்தேன்.
வழக்கம் போல புரட்டும், போலி பெருமிதமும் நிறைந்த திமுகவுக்கே உரித்தான அறிக்கை. (1/8)
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) February 23, 2023
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