CHENNAI: Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday advised politicians to agree to disagree and respect each other in public life as there are no enemies, only rivals in politics.Unveiling a 16-foot-high bronze statue of former chief minister M Karunanidhi at Omandurar Government Estate in Chennai, Naidu hailed the Dravidian stalwart as one of India’s most dynamic CMs who has left a legacy of development and social welfare.
Stating that he could see many of his friends from Parliament and different political parties at the function, Naidu said, “I would have been happier if people from all parties were here.
Parties may have different ideologies but they all work for people’s welfare. We must differ. At the same time, we must respect leaders and then move on according to our ideologies. Unity in Diversity is the speciality of this country. We need not compromise on our convictions but we can also work together. This is my advice to all youngsters.”
Karunanidhi rose to iconic stature by his efforts and never failed to promote Tamil language and culture, Naidu said, and urged people to learn their mother tongue but not develop an aversion to other languages. “We must support our mother tongue but must not oppose any language. There should be no imposition and no opposition to any language. Learn as many languages as possible including foreign languages,” he said.
Showering encomiums on Kalaignar Karunanidhi, the V-P said, “In Kalaignar, I could see a person with a clear ideology and commitment, dedication, devotion, dynamism, and discipline to work for the welfare of the people.” The V-P said he had the good fortune of interacting with Kalaignar quite closely over several decades during the course of his long journey in public life.
“It was always interesting to interact with him and to argue with him. Sometimes we used to agree to disagree. But we respected each other. In a democracy, that is an essential requirement — agree to disagree. In public life, there must be some humour along with grammar (subject) and that will add to the glamour. And Kalaignar had all the three. Kalaignar Karunanidhi was a leader who stood firmly by his political beliefs and convictions,” Naidu said.
In his presidential address, the CM said the statue of Kalaignar is located in between the statues of Periyar and Arignar Anna on Anna Salai. Kalaignar used to say he belongs to the Periyar school of thought and nurtured his ideals in Aringar Anna’s association. So, his statue is now aptly located in between the statues of Periyar and Anna, Stalin said.
The CM also recalled how Venkaiah Naidu and then PM AB Vajpayee were dismayed at the arrest of Kalaignar in 2001 and condemned it. “Venkaiah Naidu has been nurturing that relationship till now,” Stalin added.
Paying encomiums on Venkaiah Naidu, Stalin said he was an excellent parliamentarian and handled proceedings of the Rajya Sabha during challenging times with aplomb. So it is apt that the Vice-President is unveiling the statue of Karunanidhi, the CM said. Stalin also recalled the contribution of Karunanidhi to all sections of society and said that only because of those services, people hailed him as the architect of modern Tamil Nadu.
‘Learn as many languages’
Referring to language controversies, the V-P said, “No imposition of any language; no opposition to any language. Learn as many languages as possible.”