MADURAI/RAMANATHAPURAM: Chief Minister M K Stalin said the Tamil Nadu government will continue to press the Union government to initiate diplomatic talks with Sri Lanka seeking the release of the arrested Tamil fishermen and their boats.
He was addressing thousands of cadres from various parties and the general public at Pasumpon on Wednesday, after paying floral tributes to freedom fighter Muthuramalinga Thevar on the occasion of his 117th birth anniversary and 62nd Guru Pooja.
Responding to a question about the Vaigai-Cauvery-Gundar scheme, the CM said that over 40% of the land acquisition process for the project was completed.
Over 9,000 police personnel were deployed across Ramanathapuram district to maintain law and order. From Wednesday early hours itself, people from neighbouring villages thronged the memorial at Pasumpon to pay their respects.
Earlier in the day, the CM garlanded Thevar’s statue in Goripalayam in Madurai. He was accompanied by ministers I Periyasamy, K K S S R Ramachandran, Thangam Thennarasu and others, who also garlanded Thevar’s portrait at the venue and paid their respects at the statues of the Maruthu brothers in Teppakulam.
AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami and leaders of other political parties also paid their tributes to the departed leader.
Addressing reporters at Goripalayam, TNCC leader Su Thirunavukkarasar, in the wake of actor-turned-politician Vijay launching his party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, stated that it is welcoming that Vijay has assured a coalition government if the party wins.
In general, party cadre would be happy to get ministerial berths in a coalition government but in practical terms, the majority party need not form such a coalition. The INC leadership in Delhi can only take a call regarding an alliance, he said, stressing that ties between the DMK and TNCC are strong.
EPS also paid floral tribute to the statues of the Maruthu brothers before leaving to Pasumpon. Ahead of his visit to the memorial, former AIADMK minister Manikandan asked the officials to remove a government banner that was placed at the media interaction zone. As the officials refused to remove it, the party cadre attempted to cover Stalin’s and former chief minister M Karunanidhi’s images on the banner with a cloth when Palaniswami arrived at the venue.
Meanwhile, former chief minister O Panneerselvam paid homage to the freedom fighter and reiterated that the AIADMK can win the 2026 Assembly elections only if the party is united. Later in the afternoon, BJP leaders led by Union Minister L Murugan, H Raja and Nainar Nagendran reached the venue and said the BJP-led government at the centre will initiate bilateral talks with the Sri Lankan government and will do all that’s required to resolve issues plaguing fishermen community
Various other leaders, including V K Sasikala, DMDK leader Vijaya Prabhakaran, AMMK leader TTV Dhinakaran, Congress leaders K Selvaperunthagai and Thirunavukkarasar, and NTK leader Seeman accompanied by Sattai Durai Murugan, also paid floral tributes at the memorial.