Udhayanidhi slams Guv for saffron portrayal of Thiruvalluvar

Chennai: Former deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on Saturday condemned Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar over the portrayal of Thiruvalluvar in saffron robe in Lok Bhavan, accusing him of insulting Tamil sentiments and questioning the silence of the TVK govt on the issue.

“The state govt officially celebrates Thiruvalluvar Day in Jan, but where does this new claim that Vaikasi Anusham is Thiruvalluvar Day come from? My strong condemnation to those insulting Thiruvalluvar and the Sofa Model govt that permits it,” Udhayanidhi said on X.

Arlekar paid respect to the portrait of Thiruvallur with saffron robe, which was kept at Lok Bhavan to celebrate Vaikasi Anusham.

Udhayanidhi said that similar attempts by governors during the previous DMK regime were strongly opposed by the party and said efforts were once again being made to provoke the self-respect of Tamils.

The DMK youth wing secretary contended that portraying Thiruvalluvar in saffron robes amounted to an attempt to alter the traditional image of the revered Tamil poet.

Udhayanidhi also criticised the TVK govt for not responding strongly to the controversy.

Referring to the recent debate over the rendering of Tamil Thai Vazhthu at official functions, he said chief minister C Joseph Vijay should not hesitate to question actions that, according to him, undermine Tamil identity and the legacy of Thiruvalluvar.

He further questioned why the chief minister was reluctant to speak out against what he described as an injustice while remaining silent on law and order issues.

Though such events of portraying Thiruvalluvar with saffron robe happened during the tenure of previous Governor R N Ravi, this is the first time that such an event had occurred under Arlekar.