VP lays stone for 150ft VOC statue in Madurai

Madurai: Vice-President C P Radhakrishnan on Sunday laid the foundation stone for a 150-foot statue of freedom fighter V O Chidambaram Pillai (VOC) at Amma Thidal in Vandiyur in Madurai. The Rs10 crore statue is being erected by ACS Arakattalai, founded by New Justice Party (Puthiya Needhi Katchi) founder-president A C Shanmugam. The statue will be installed on a ship-structured building with a library on 3 acres of land and completed in 18 months. It will be the tallest in the state, as the Thiruvalluvar statue in Kanyakumari is only 133ft. A C Shanmugam said guru pooja will be observed at the statue every year, for which a mandapam will be built.Speaking on the occasion, the Vice-President remembered V O Chidambaram Pillai's selfless sacrifice, and how the first seeds of freedom were sown in this soil by him. Regarding "Chekkizhutha Semmal" (The Great Man Who Pulled the Oil Press), Radhakrishnan noted that many people imagine that he may have pulled a wooden oil press. Such people must visit Coimbatore prison and see the stone oil press kept there, he said. The Vice-President assured that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will come to unveil the statue. Five resolutions were passed during the event. One urged the Union govt to bestow Bharat Ratna on VOC, while another sought installation of his full-length statue in the Parliament complex as a symbol of his patriotism. Another urged the Tamil Nadu govt to buy the house where VOC lived in Perambur, Chennai, and convert it into a VOC memorial.Arakattalai trustee ACS Ravikumar, actor Sivakumar, director Sundar C, Union minister L Murugan, BJP state president Nainar Nagenthran, Sengol Atheenam, Tamil Nadu Chamber of Commerce and Industry president N Jegatheesan, and others attended the ceremony.In the morning, C P Radhakrishnan, along with Nainar Nagenthran, visited Thirukoshtiyur Sowmya Narayana Perumal temple in Sivaganga district and offered prayers. He also offered floral tribute to the statue of Rani Velu Nachiyar.