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‘AIADMK appeasing masters in north’: DMK on road name change in TN
In the past, both DMK and AIADMK have indulged in the name changing game of roads after Tamil scholars and personalities to evoke linguistic pride.
Road names in Tamil Nadu have sparked controversy again with the DMK blaming the AIADMK for changing important road names to “appease their masters in the north who want to saffronise everything,” the party said in a letter to chief secretary Rajeev Ranjan.
“It is common knowledge that some of the major roads and highways in Chennai are named after the greatest leaders of Tamil Nadu. This was a policy decision taken by the then government,” stated the letter. “The move to change the names of the roads will insult Tamil personalities belonging to various political parties and create a tense and unrest situation in the state. May lead to further struggles and unrest,” it added.
On Thursday, a three-member delegation of the DMK, led by organising secretary and MP RS Bharathi, submitted a representation to chief secretary Rajeev Ranjan urging him to intervene to roll back names of three arterial roads. They were named after Dravidian icons of the state such as EV Ramasamy, CN Annadurai and K Kamaraj but now bear English names.
The AIADMK said that no names have been changed. “It seems the highways department used names from old records and during a routine job of installing name boards they have done this,” said AIADMK spokesperson and candidate C Vaigaichelvan. “We don’t have the power to do anything now. So after we form the government again we will take necessary steps,” he added.
Vaigaichelvan dismissed DMK’s charges that this was done to appease their ally, the BJP. “BJP doesn’t tell us to change any names and we won’t do such things. We are also for Periyar. What do we have against these road names?” he said.
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In the past, both DMK and AIADMK have indulged in the name changing game of roads after Tamil scholars and personalities to evoke linguistic pride. Chennai’s Poonamallee high road was renamed in 1979 by AIADMK founder MG Ramachandran (MGR) to Periyar EVR high road after EV Ramasamy, the father of the Dravidian movement. Mount Road was renamed to Anna Salai and Beach Road as Kamarajar Salai. The names of these roads have now been changed to Grand Western Trunk Road, Grand Southern Trunk Road and Grand Northern Trunk Road. The DMK sought for the old names to be restored as signboards of the same have come up.
“This action of changing the names of the roads, and the sheer disrespect to Tamil icons cutting across all parties, has brought uneasiness and unrest in the state and this may even lead to agitations and unrest,” Bharathi said in his letter. “It is quite apparent that the name change is done to please the ideologies of the AIADMK’s masters from the north, whose dislike of the Dravidian movement and its icon Thanthai Periyar is well known. They aim to ‘sanskritise’ and ‘saffronise’ everything.”
Former Union minister P Chidambaram on Friday night tweeted that a smart government would immediately let leaders know that the names of the highways have not been changed. “The controversy should end tonight,” he said.
