CHENNAI: DMK working president M K Stalin today said 'Pongal day' will be declared as Tamil New Year again if his party captured power in Tamil Nadu.
"I would like to convey categorically that at the time of the dawn of our regime...we will see Pongal being celebrated as Tamil New Year as well and that would happen for sure," Stalin said.
Participating at a function here to celebrate Pongal -- the harvest festival of Tamil Nadu -- he expressed regret that the first day of Tamil month 'Thai', which was declared as Tamil New Year by the DMK regime, was reversed by the AIADMK government.
Pongal is being celebrated on the first day of Thai and during its regime in 2008, DMK government had changed the Tamil New Year from the traditional date of April 14 (Tamil month Chithirai 1) to January 14 (Tamil month Thai 1).
The move kicked up a controversy and after the AIADMK assumed power in 2011, it was reversed.
In support of the change, DMK had always maintained that about 500 Tamil scholars led by Maraimalai Adigal had declared the first day of Tamil month Thai as the first day of Tamil New Year as well.