CHENNAI: Chief Minister O Panneerselvam will lead a contingent of eight ministers to participate in the 52nd Guru Pooja celebrations at the shrine of Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar to commemorate his 107th birth anniversary on October 30, popularly observed as Thevar Jayanthi in the southern districts of the State.
Apart from Panneerselvam, the contingent would include Electricity, Prohibition and Excise Minister Nathan R Viswanathan, Housing and Urban Development Minister R Vaithilingam, Co-operatives Minister Sellur K Raju, Food Minister K Kamaraj, Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Minister P Chendur Pandian, Revenue Minister RB Udhaya Kumar, and Health Minister C Vijaya Baskar. Also part of the team would be Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board Chairman K Thangamuthu and Tamil Nadu Housing Board Chairman R Murugaiah Pandian.
The observance of Thevar Jayanthi on October 30 every year holds cultural and political significance and assertion for the Thevar community. The day, the run-up to it, and its aftermath are usually a time for heightened tension in the districts, as a large number of people hailing from the community travel to Pasumpon. It is also important for the AIADMK, for whom the community is a key electoral constituent.