Chennai: A life-size statue of former prime minister V.P. Singh will be installed in Chennai soon, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin declared in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Thursday.
Sticking to the DMK’s theme of social justice, Stalin addressed V.P. Singh as the “guardian of social justice”, and added that the proposed statue will “honour his contributions to the social justice movement” and “express the respect, love, and gratitude the Tamil society” has for him.
In a video posted by DMK MLA and the party’s IT wing secretary T.R.B. Rajaa, V.P. Singh’s granddaughters Adrija and Richa Manjari Singh were seen thanking CM Stalin for the initiative.
“We are very happy with this announcement. We, as a family, feel elated that the work of our grandfather is being recognised,” said Adrija. Richa added, “The statue is a tribute to the support and affection the people of Tamil Nadu have always given my grandfather.”
Meanwhile, Stalin — who remarked in the assembly that Singh saw Tamil Nadu as his own — also said, “The former prime minister adored Periyar’s principles of self-respect.”
With regional political players attacking the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over issues like the alleged misuse of central agencies to target opposition leaders, the DMK has chosen the theme of ‘social justice’ to shore up support ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Earlier this month, the DMK brought leaders of 19 opposition parties together for a ‘social justice’ conference where Stalin accused the BJP of gross discrimination based on who votes for the party and who doesn’t. During his birthday bash last month, Stalin had termed the idea for the formation of a third front “pointless”, while insisting that like-minded parties must unite to take on the BJP in the general election next year.
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‘Long live glory of VP Singh’
Stalin, while speaking in the assembly Thursday, termed Singh’s role in the implementation of Mandal Commission’s recommendation of 27 per cent reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBC) in Union government jobs as instrumental. He also recalled how DMK patriarch and then Tamil Nadu chief minister M. Karunanidhi had passed a resolution in the assembly thanking Singh and the National Front Government for the move.
“He (Singh) did not belong to a backward community by birth, yet he ensured the 27 per cent quota was implemented nationally,” said Stalin.
Singh’s decision to implement the Mandal Commission’s recommendation was among the reasons why he was PM for just 11 months and 8 days — from 2 December 1989 to 10 November 1990. Singh’s National Front government lost a vote of no-confidence in Parliament after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) withdrew its support over the issue.
Stalin also said that Singh played a key role in the formation of the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal, and it was because of him that the Chennai international airport terminal was named after former chief minister late C.N. Annadurai and the Chennai domestic airport terminal after former chief minister late K. Kamaraj.
The DMK chief also lauded Singh’s dedication to public life by saying that the former prime minister took to the streets to protest for the rights of the people even as he was undergoing dialysis. “Long live the glory of V.P. Singh,” the chief minister said.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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