TAMIL NADU, INDIA, July 21, 2016 (The Hindu): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to urgently take up with the Uttarakhand government the issue of installation of a statue of Tamil sage poet Thiruvalluvar in Haridwar. “It is learnt that the Thiruvalluvar statue is now lying in the Dam Kothi Guest House, Haridwar, in an abandoned condition. The visuals beamed on television screens is causing outrage in Tamil Nadu,” Ms. Jayalalithaa said.
Thiruvalluvar is a celebrated poet believed to have lived between 3rd Century BC and 1st Century BC. He wrote the most popular Tamil literary works Thirukkural, also known as the common creed. The verses are a moral guide for human beings and have been translated in several languages. “The object of the Thiruvalluvar Ganga Payanam is to show solidarity of the North with the Tamil saint poet Thiruvalluvar’s message of equality and ending social discrimination in society,” Ms. Jayalalithaa said.
According to her, due to the local protests, the installation of Thiruvalluvar statue at Har ki Pauri was prevented and was installed at Shankaracharya Chowk, Haridwar, on June 28. The statute was to be unveiled on June 29 by the Governor and Chief Minister of Uttarakhand.