RAMANATHAPURAM: The demand to confer the Bharat Ratna on late freedom fighter Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar gained renewed momentum on Thursday — his 118th birth anniversary and 63rd Guru Poojai — with leaders across the political spectrum voicing support for the move.
Responding to AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami’s letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah recommending the honour for Thevar, Chief Minister M K Stalin said, “The TN government will back the recommendation.” MDMK general secretary Vaiko also endorsed the demand, while AMMK leader T T V Dhinakaran said conferring the Bharat Ratna on Thevar was part of his party’s manifesto.
Vice President of India C P Radhakrishnan and CM Stalin both paid floral tributes at Thevar’s memorial at Pasumpon village, marking the occasion. During the fete, the CM announced that a new marriage hall will be constructed in the village at a cost of Rs 3 crore.
Having arrived in Pasumpon in an IAF helicopter, the Vice President said that honouring Thevar was akin to celebrating righteousness and the 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 TN had to begin here,” he said.
Radhakrishnan said Thevar was a spiritual and nationalist figure who transcended caste lines. “It is ignorant to think Thevar Ayya belonged only to one community. He led people from all sections of society and shared close ties with leaders across caste boundaries,” he said.
Recalling Thevar’s legacy, Stalin quoted former Chief Minister C N Annadurai, who had described Thevar as “a majestic leader who embodied the valour of the ancient Pandiya kings.” He noted that when Thevar passed away in 1963, major political leaders had all paid their respects in person.
The CM said it was late DMK leader M Karunanidhi who first visited the memorial in 1969 and later developed it into manimandapam in 1974. Karunanidhi also invited the then President V V Giri to unveil the Thevar statue in Madurai, Stalin recalled.
Quoting Karunanidhi, Stalin added, “Pasumpon was born a warrior, lived as a warrior, and continues to be celebrated as a warrior even after his passing.”
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a post on X, hailed Thevar as “a towering figure with a deep impact on India’s social and political life.” Governor R N Ravi also paid tributes to the late leader on the second day of his personal visit to Kanniyakumari district. Sources said, the governor visited the Thanumalayan Swamy temple at Suchindram near Nagercoil on Thursday morning and later paid floral tributes at the photo of Thevar at the guest house in Kanniyakumari.
