CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Monday called the expungement of the name of “Thanthai” Periyar from the Parliament records a ‘shame’ and asked people to use Periyar everywhere and forever.

Taking strong exception to BJP MPs Opposition to DMK Rajya Sabha MP M M Abdullah’s reference to Periyar in the Parliament, Stalin said that even the name of Periyar has been stricken of the Parliament record.

“Right to speech has been strangled in the Parliament itself,” Stalin remarked.

“It is a shame that the name of Thanthai Periyar has been expunged in the same Parliament in which former Prime Minister V P Singh said that Periyar was the reason for implementing the Mandal Commission's recommendation,” Stalin added, in a message posted on micro-blogging site X (formerly Twitter) on late Monday.

“Let us use Periyar's name, which remains etched in people's minds and threatens the communalists even today, anywhere and forever under any circumstance! Everyone use it,” Stalin said.