Jayakumar assures of strict action

Periyar was the father of social justice movement in Tamil Nadu and insulting him is similar to insulting the entire Tamil community,” he said, after paying homage to the Dravidian icon on his 140th birth anniversary here.

Periyar’s statues were desecrated in Chennai and Tirupur and both the incidents created an uproar in the State. Leaders from both the ruling and opposition parties condemned the incident. 

When Jayakumar was questioned about it, he too condemned the incidents. “Periyar’s fame will live till the end of the world and the miscreants who maligned his image will be put behind bars,” he said.

When asked about a few elements attempting to create chaos in Tamil Nadu, he replied that the State is a peaceful land and those who try to do communal politics will be dealt with iron hand. 

“Late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa took strong measures to control such fringe activities because of which Tamil Nadu remained a peaceful land.”