CHENNAI: Chief Minister M K Stalin on Thursday announced in the Assembly that a statue of German philosopher Karl Marx will be installed in Chennai, honouring his contributions to humanity.
With the Assembly elections just 10 months away, political circles have interpreted the move as a goodwill gesture by the CM towards his party’s ally, which has of late struck a slightly different chord with the DMK on labour and caste-related issues.
Making the announcement as part of Rule 110 of the Assembly, Stalin stated that Marx was among the few who managed to alter the course of history and it was his thoughts that laid the foundation for several revolutions and changes seen in the world thus far.
He said this year’s budget was also presented with the vision of ‘everything for everyone, which he said is in line with the philosophy of Marx. He recalled how Periyar E V Ramasamy translated the Communist Manifesto in Tamil in 1931, and said it was only appropriate a statue of Marx be installed in Chennai, where the labour movement thrived a century ago.
He also announced the installation of a memorial at Usilampatti in Madurai for the late All India Forward Bloc leader P K Mookiah Thevar, who worked closely with Muthuramalinga Thevar, and is revered by the Mukkulathor community, which has a significant presence in southern districts.