RAMANATHAPURAM: Vice President of India CP Radhakrishnan paid respects to Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar at his memorial on his 118th birth anniversary and 63rd Guru Pooja at Pasumpon village in Ramanathapuram district on Thursday.
Being the first Vice President of India to visit the memorial, Radhakrishnan told the reporters that honouring Thevar was akin to honouring righteousness and national spirit. “For the past 25 years, I have been visiting Pasumpon every year to pay my respects. This year, as Vice President, my first visit to Tamil Nadu had to begin here,” he said.
The vice president reached Pasumpon by an IAF helicopter from Madurai International Airport this morning.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, along with ministers, garlanded the Thevar Statue near Goripalayam in Madurai on Thursday morning before heading to Pasumpon.
Radhakrishnan said Thevar was a spiritual and nationalist figure who transcended caste lines. “It is ignorance to think Thevar Ayya belonged only to one community. He led people from all sections of society and shared close ties with leaders across castes,” he said.
Recalling Thevar’s close association with Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, the Vice President said, “Among all patriots, none was greater than Thevar. He stood by Netaji as his commander and remained loyal to him till the end. Even when Nehru offered him the chief minister’s post, he refused, saying he wanted justice for Netaji first.”
Appealing for harmony among communities, he urged that all national leaders’ anniversaries be celebrated collectively. “One may be born into a caste, but unity is in our hands. Working together for the progress of Tamil Nadu and India is the true tribute to our great leaders,” he added.