CHENNAI: Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday unveiled a bronze statue of late DMK President and former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi here, and hailed the Dravidian stalwart as one of India’s most dynamic CMs who has left a legacy of development and social welfare. Karunanidhi rose to iconic stature by his efforts and never failed to promote Tamil language and culture, Naidu said, even as he urged people to learn their mother tongue and that they should not develop an aversion to other languages.
“We must not oppose any language but support our mother tongue.
There should be no imposition and no opposition to any language. Learn as many languages as possible including foreign languages,” he urged. Speaking after unveiling the 16-ft high bronze statue of Karunanidhi, Naidu said in democracy it is quite essential to agree to disagree. In public life, politicians should respect each other. “People who belong to different parties have different views. We are not enemies. We are only political rivals. This is my advise to young politicians,” he said. He found it interesting to argue with Kalaignar, as Karunaindhi was respectfully addressed, and sometimes differed from his views.
Karunanidhi was not only firmly rooted to his ideology but also worked for the welfare of the people with dedication, dynamism and discipline. “He was one of the most dynamic chief ministers of India,” the Vice President said. He recalled the late leader had opposed the imposition of Emergency by then Prime Minister, the late Indira Gandhi, “in clear and unambiguous terms. With India becoming stronger under an able leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, now is the right time for all to work together for the welfare of the downtrodden, he said. “When states develop, the country will progress.
This should always be kept in mind. We are team India. We should work together, forgetting the political differences,” Naidu added. Stating that he was “really happy” to unveil Karunanidhi’s statue ahead of his birth anniversary on June 3, Naidu said he had the least hesitation in accepting the invitation to attend the event. “Karunanidhi is an able administrator who gave a stable governance and worked for the welfare of the downtrodden, oppressed and the depressed sections,” he said.