CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi and Chief Minister M K Stalin on Monday greeted the Malayalam-speaking people on the occasion of Onam. Extending his greetings on the eve of the grand official festival of Kerala, Ravi said ''on the auspicious occasion of #Onam, my warmest greetings and best wishes to all our countrymen and women. May the Mahabali bless us with peace, prosperity, and good health, and we live like a happy Kutumbam.'' Noting that the people of Kerala celebrated this harvest festival with enthusiasm and unity, the Chief Minister said the people of Kerala also rejoice the occasion in warmly welcoming ''the Dravidian king Maveli, dethroned by deception.'' The ancient Tamil literary piece Maduraikkanchi of the Sangam literature has a reference to the festival, he said. ''The Dravidian culture cannot be separated. A section of people is attempting to snatch this identity by depicting the Onam festival as Vamana Jayanti. The people of Kerala will ignore such attempts,'' Stalin said in a statement.

People are aware that Onam will be the festival that will bring the downfall of the ''selfish who want to divide the people'', he said.

''May this Onam festival be a day to take an oath to restore equality, development, and unity in India. Let the coming year be the one when the entire India treads the progressive political path shown by the South. Once again my Onam greetings to all the people of Kerala who are siblings of the Dravidian family,'' he said.

Stalin recalled that late chief minister M Karunanidhi announced a local holiday for the Malayalam-speaking people in Kanyakumari, Coimbatore, and Nilgiris districts in 2006 and for those in Chennai in 2007.