CHENNAI: Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam MP Kanimozhi on Thursday credited former Tamil Nadu CM Karunanidhi for declaring Pongal as "Tamil New Year".
Kanimozhi was reacting to Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam chief Vijay's 'X' post, which extended greetings for Thai Pongal and the Tamil New Year. It also triggered a fresh debate over the cultural and political significance of linking Pongal with the Tamil New Year.
"Karunanidhi declared Pongal day is Tamil New Year. Many people started celebrating it and to me it is Tamil New Year," Kanimozhi said.
In a message shared on social media, TVK president Vijay had said, "On the auspicious festival of Thai Pongal, may love and peace fill the lives of Tamils across the world, and may health and prosperity flourish. Wishing everyone a joyful Pongal and a happy Tamil New Year."
The greeting drew attention because, traditionally, the Tamil New Year is observed in mid-April during the Tamil month of Chithirai, not in January during Thai Pongal. In 2008, the DMK government led by the late Chief Minister M Karunanidhi officially declared Thai 1 (Pongal day) as the Tamil New Year, citing references from ancient Tamil literature and historical sources.
Though later governments reverted to Chithirai as the New Year, the Pongal-based New Year continues to be associated with Dravidian ideology and reformist politics. TVK's General Secretary for policy and propaganda, Arunraj, also shared a strongly worded message on X aligning Pongal with political change.
"Let the old regime fade... let a new one rise," he wrote, calling Pongal a symbol of discarding the old and embracing the new. He linked the festival to contemporary politics, stating that Tamil Nadu too was moving toward a new political phase.
He paid tribute to farmers, saying Pongal honours those who trust the soil and their labour, and concluded with, "Happy Victory Pongal and Tamil New Year to all!"
Similarly, TVK's General Secretary for Elections, Aadhav Arjun, posted a message on X describing Pongal as a festival that reflects Tamil cultural pride, peaceful coexistence, and renewal.
"Pongal is a unique festival through which we, the Tamil people, remember and celebrate our cultural pride and our peaceful, harmonious way of life--casting away outdated burdens and embracing the new light that suits the changing times," he said, extending greetings for both Pongal and the Tamil New Year.
The coordinated messaging from top TVK leaders has fueled discussion in political and cultural circles, with critics arguing that conflating Pongal with the Tamil New Year reflects a specific ideological position rooted in Dravidian politics, while supporters see it as a progressive reinterpretation grounded in Tamil history.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Minister TRB Rajaa today urged the central government to start with "understanding" Tamil culture instead of simply giving "ceremonial praise".
His response came hours after Union Home Minister Amit Shah extended Thiruvalluvar Day greetings to the people of Tamil Nadu. Rajaa, a Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader, said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has a "fundamental issue" of not understanding Tamils and not making the effort to understand what they need or who they are.
He said that according to the local tradition, Pongal is to be celebrated on 'Thai 1', which is today, whereas Thiruvalluvar day is 'Thai 2', which is supposed to be on Friday.
"When people ask me about the BJP and Tamil Nadu, I often point out that the fundamental issue is that the BJP simply does not understand Tamils and Tamil Nadu and it doesn't even take the effort to understand what we need and what we are ! In Tamil Nadu, Pongal is Thai 1 Thiruvalluvar Day is Thai 2. Our calendar follows the sun and the soil, not fixed English dates," his post read.
Pongal is celebrated across Tamil Nadu and among the global Tamil diaspora.