Vijayan, Stalin pitch for continued cooperation

Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin underlined the shared vision of both states to create an egalitarian society, promising to deepen cooperation in the years to come

The collaboration between Kerala and Tamil Nadu is a testament to cooperative federalism, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Thursday, voicing the need to expand it to other states in the backdrop of “frequent interventions on the rights of states”.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin arrive to pay tribute to a portrait of Dravidar Kazhagam founder Periyar E V Ramasamy during the inauguration of the Thanthai Periyar Memorial and Periyar Library, established in his honour, at Vaikom in Kottayam. (PTI)

“This cooperation cannot be expressed in mere words. It is demonstrated through actions,” Vijayan said at a public meeting at Vaikom Beach in Kottayam district.

Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin underlined the shared vision of both states to create an egalitarian society, promising to deepen cooperation in the years to come.

Vijayan’s remarks came after he and Stalin jointly inaugurated the Thanthai Periyar renovated memorial and library established in honour of social reformer EV Ramasamy as part of the conclusion of the Vaikom Satyagraha centenary celebrations. The satyagraha in 1924-25, in which Periyar had played a key role, was a mass movement demanding rights for the people of lower castes to access roads leading to and surrounding the famous Vaikom Mahadeva temple.

“If Periyar championed the self-respect of individuals, the present times demand that states stand for their self-respect,” said Vijayan.

He underlined that Periyar, alongside leaders from Kerala like KP Kesava Menon and Barrister George Joseph, saw the Vaikom Satyagraha as a national issue, rather than a regional issue, to send a message against untouchability.

In his address, which chief minister and DMK chief MK Stalin started in Malayalam, he listed the contributions of Periyar and other leaders from Tamil Nadu to making the Vaikom Satyagraha a success.

“The satyagraha is an example that only proper coordination in social reform initiatives will yield fruit...people must continue to agitate against differences based on caste, financial status and sex,” he exhorted.

Earlier, both leaders marked the inauguration of the renovated memorial dedicated to Periyar which has a museum consisting of paintings, photographs and other items related to the life of the social reformer and a library stacked with books and accessible to the public. Last year, while visiting Kerala for the centenary celebrations, the Tamil Nadu government had allocated ₹8.14 crore for the renovation of the memorial.