Desecration of Periyar statue in Coimbatore condemned across party lines

Chennai: Leaders, cutting across party lines, condemned the desecration of a Periyar statue at Sundarapuram in Coimbatore on Friday morning when miscreants poured saffron paint over statue, while the Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami assured strict action under the law against the culprits.

Palaniswami was answering a question from the media at Erode, where he held a few meetings at the Collectorate. Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar also said, in Chennai, that strict action would be taken against anyone found desecrating statues of political leaders.

DMK president MK Stalin, in a tweet, said, "Periyar had stated that his statue was being erected on the same spot where footwear was thrown at him. He printed his photograph and gave it to those who wanted to burn his image and he lent his pen to a man asking persistent questions. That’s why he is Periyar (Big Man), who struggled for the lowly".

PMK founder S Ramadoss expressed concern over Periyar statues being targeted of late. "Periyar’s principles have given the jitters to toxic creatures and venomous snakes that had infiltrated into Tamil Nadu of late," Ramadoss said in a statement, adding that they were resorting to acts of cowardice because they were unable to oppose him through their principles.

MDMK general secretary, Vaiko, in a lengthy statement explained the greatness of Periyar and said that such incidents had become a regular feature under the AIADMK rule.

AMMK leader TTV Dinakaran tweeted that police should take action against those who tried to disrupt social peace. "Such incidents have been on the rise in the recent past," he said.