TN leaders extend greetings on state formation day

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami on Sunday extended his Tamil Nadu Day greetings to the people of the state but there was no festivity to mark the day, apparently due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation. 

To commemorate November 1, 1956, when states were reorganised on linguistic basis, and to honour those who had strived for the language, the government has been celebrating it as Tamil Nadu Day since 2019, he said.

In a tweet, he extended his Tamil Day greetings. In a seperate statement, he recalled that 'Madras State' came into existence on this day in 1956 following reorganisation of states, but this particular landscape was later renamed Tamil Nadu (Tamil Nation) due to the efforts of Dravidian stalwart CN Annadurai, the first non-Congress chief minister of the state in independent India.

The name Tamil Nadu was given to the state following an assembly resolution in 1969. "I extend my Tamil Nadu day greetings with the pledge that we all will strive to develop our Tamil-speaking state in the national arena," he said.

Opposition leader MK Stalin also said, "it was the duty of the people to protect the richness of Tamil language, Tamil pride, and the state’s rights".

Official sources indicated no major events were scheduled this year owing to the pandemic situation. State Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar, PMK founder Dr S Ramadoss also extended their greetings.

Vice President of India, Venkaiah Naidu took to his social media to wish the people of TN. He said, "The state of Tamil Nadu is known for his rich culture and heritage. I wish the state and its people achieve prosperity in all arenas in future"