The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday hit out at Governor RN Ravi for his remarks on the treatment of freedom fighters in the state, in the latest stand-off between the state government and Ravi.
“As though the Governor knows the history of freedom fighters (from Tamil Nadu), he is of the opinion that we have failed to honour them,” said state higher education minister K Ponmudy on Wednesday. This comes after the Governor recently said that the state is fragmented by caste and that if freedom fighters were born here, they would be reduced to caste leaders.
The minister said that if the Governor indeed cared for freedom fighters, he should have signed a file from Madurai Kamaraj University, which has sought to confer an honorary doctorate on freedom fighter and communist leader N Sankaraiah who is 101 years old.
The Syndicate of the University during its meeting on August 18 passed a resolution to award an honorary doctorate to Sankaraiah as a recognition of his services to the society. On September 20, the Senate decided to award him an honorary doctorate during the University’s convocation to be held on November 2.
According to the Madurai Kamaraj University Act, 1965, the Senate has the powers to confer honorary doctorates but it requires the signature of the Chancellor of the state universities -- the Governor. “Sankaraiah gave up his education to fight for freedom and he was in jail for five years,” the minister said. “Later, he spearheaded protests for people and was imprisoned for another four years. The Madurai university wanted to bestow this honour on a person who has struggled so much for freedom. And the Governor has not signed on the file. From this, everyone can understand whether he really cares for freedom fighters from Tamil Nadu.”
{{/usCountry}}According to the Madurai Kamaraj University Act, 1965, the Senate has the powers to confer honorary doctorates but it requires the signature of the Chancellor of the state universities -- the Governor. “Sankaraiah gave up his education to fight for freedom and he was in jail for five years,” the minister said. “Later, he spearheaded protests for people and was imprisoned for another four years. The Madurai university wanted to bestow this honour on a person who has struggled so much for freedom. And the Governor has not signed on the file. From this, everyone can understand whether he really cares for freedom fighters from Tamil Nadu.”
{{/usCountry}}The Raj Bhavan has not commented on the file regarding Sankaraiah.
Earlier on Monday, governor Ravi, while addressing those at the NR IAS Academy in Trichy district on the death anniversary of freedom fighters Marudhu Pandiyar brothers, made remarks that irked the DMK-led government. “It pains me that leaders have been reduced to caste leaders though they fought for our country’s freedom…” the governor had said. “...I wonder if Mahatma Gandhi, Neraji Subash Chandra Bose, Sardar Patel, Shaheed Bhagat Singh had been born in Tamil Nadu, (if) they too have been reduced to caste leaders.”
DMK’s parliamentary leader T R Baalu rebutted the remark by listing memorials built and programmes held in the honour of freedom fighters by the state government. Baalu said the Governor is “roaming the state” with money from Tamil Nadu’s taxpayers and that he should stop “betraying the people.”
Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Sekar Babu said, “The Tamil Nadu Governor is trying every possible way to stop the state’s growth.”
Babu added, “He (governor) is behaving like the head of the RSS and BJP in Tamil Nadu and carrying forward their ideology. He is giving our government all sorts of trouble. He is differentiating people on caste and religious lines.”
Meanwhile Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai came in support of the Governor’s remarks that freedom fighters have been reduced to caste leaders in the state. “It is true,” said Annamalai. “If you go to south Tamil Nadu for a guru pooja, it’s like some India-Pakistan border war zone. That’s how the police and the government are conducting these events. We know they have been reduced to caste leaders.”