TIRUCHY: The NDA leaders who addressed the public meeting organised by the Tamil Maanila Congress (Moopanar) in Tiruchy on July 14 commemorating the birth anniversary of former chief minister K Kamaraj merely spoke about the legendary political leader’s simplicity and honesty, skipping his political acumen and vision for which he was more popular for, alleged the leader’s admirers across the state.
The meeting, which saw in attendance BJP state president K Annamalai, PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss, AMMK leader TTV Dhinakaran and TMC (M) leader GK Vasan, put in focus Kamaraj’s simplicity, saying that there was no one like him now.
A Gopanna, TNCC vice-president and author of ‘Kamarajar Oru Sahaptham’, said, “Of course, Kamaraj is known for his simplicity and honesty. But he was beyond that. He always stood for social justice and opposed communal forces. The leaders at the TMC (M) meeting did not speak about them because they might not agree with Kamaraj’s political ideology.”
Recalling two incidents to “portray who Kamaraj was”, Gopanna said, “He was instrumental in the first amendment to the Indian Constitution that paved the way for reservation for the backward classes. When EVR Periyar was pioneering massive protests across the state seeking reservation, it was Kamaraj who persuaded the then PM Jawaharlal Nehru for the first constitutional amendment.
Second, when there was a protest in New Delhi demanding a law to prevent cow slaughter, the residence of Kamaraj, who was then Congress president, came under attack by a mob. He escaped narrowly. I cite these two incidents simply to show his stand favouring social justice and opposing communal forces.”
Further, several speakers at the meeting criticised Congress MLA EVKS Elangovan for equating MK Stalin’s rule with that of Kamaraj. TTV Dhinakaran, however, in the same venue praised Narendra Modi for ruling the country like Kamaraj. All the leaders at the meeting also vowed to strive to unseat the DMK government in the 2026 Assembly election and form an NDA government in Tamil Nadu to realise “Kamaraj’s aspiration”.
Advocate Poovai Pulikesi of Dravidar Kazhagam said, “Annamalai spoke in the meeting about Kamaraj making Parameshwaran, a Scheduled Caste leader, as then HR&CE minister. Kamaraj did that because Parameshwaran, whose caste identity did not allow him entry into the temple, would then be accorded respect at all the temples. But what happened to the President of India during the opening of the new Parliament building under the BJP-led government?”