Following Rajini’s remark, which provoked a controversy over a rally that took place in 1971 by Periyar, a statue in Tamil Nadu was vandalized.
Chennai| A statue of former Dravidian stalwart and social activist E. V. Ramasamy, also commonly known as Periyar, was vandalized near Chengalpattu in Tamil Nadu in early hours on Friday.
Senior officers were at the spot to investigate the incident, Police officials at the Salavakkam station told to The Indian Express.
The right hand was destroyed and there were some cracks on the head of the statue, the police reported.
The act comes after Rajinikanth’s controversial remark over Dravidian ideologue. During the 50th anniversary celebrations of Tamil magazine Thuglak, Rajinikanth said: “In 1971, at Salem, Periyar took out a rally in which undressed images of Lord Sri Ramachandramoorthy and Sita with a garland of sandal featured and no news outlet published it.”
Following the remarks, Rajini faced backslash from Dravidian outfits to which he said “Whatever I spoke about has become a controversy. I read out from what was printed in Hindu and Outlook. I didn’t say anything out of imagination. I’ll not apologise for what I said…I have not said anything out of imagination. I’m saying what I have seen and they (Dravidian outfit) are saying what they have seen.”
Also Read: Who was Thanthai Periyar?
However, this is not the first time in the recent years where statues of Periyar have been vandalised in Tamil Nadu. In April 2019, a life-size statue of Periyar was found beheaded in Aranthangi town near the Pudukottai district.
An Indian social activist and politician, Periyar, who started the Self-Respect Movement and Dravidar Kazhagam was also an Athiest and had founded the Dravidar Kazhagam, the parent organisation of the DMK. He is known as the ‘Father of the Dravidian Movement’. He did notable work against Brahminical dominance and gender and caste inequality in Tamil Nadu.
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