Tamil Nadu Foundation Day: Stalin, EPS, Vijay and others recall sacrifices of border fighters

CHENNAI: Chief minister M K Stalin, leader of the opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami, TVK founder Vijay, PMK founder S Ramadoss, former chief minister O Panneerselvam and a host of other leaders extended greetings tom people on the anniversary of the Tamil Nadu Foundation Day.

Stalin posted on X that Nov 1 is the day to honour the sacrifice of heroes who fought to protect the borders of Tamil Nadu. “On Border Struggle Martyrs' Day, I salute all those who fought for the merger of Tamil-speaking areas with Tamil Nadu,” he said.

Palaniswami said late chief minister J Jayalalithaa declared the day on which the state was carved out of Madras Presidency as Tamil Nadu Day. “We got Dravida Nal Thirunaadam, which is the best in the south. Let us take a pledge to free it from the clutches of evil forces and transform it into a shining Tamil Nadu again,” he said.

Actor and TVK president Vijay paid tributes to martyr Sankaralinganar, who gave up his life while undergoing a fast demanding that Madras Province be renamed as Tamil Nadu. He said late chief minister C N Annadurai had passed a resolution in the legislative assembly and named the province as Tamil Nadu.

“Today we will also remember the sacrifices of the border fighters who fought to merge the Tamil areas with Tamil Nadu. Let us all pledge to uphold the welfare of the people and the rights of the state without any compromise,” he said.

Ramadoss urged everyone to undertake a pledge to create a development model to restore the rights of the Tamil people. In a post on X, the PMK leader said it was on this day 68 years ago that Madras Presidency was divided into states based on linguistic lines.

He said Tamil Nadu ceded its territories to other states when they were formed, but those states now deny water to Tamil Nadu. "We lost more than we gained by the division of states. Let us pledge on this day to restore all we lost, including our rights," he said.

CPM state secretary K Balakrishnan, Panneerselvam, and AMMK general secretary TTV Dhinakaran also greeted the people and gave their messages to mark the anniversary.