india

Updated: Nov 02, 2019 01:38 IST

The Tamil Nadu government celebrated State Formation Day on Friday for the first time in nearly six decades after the 1956 Linguistic Reorganisation of States.

While the move was generally welcomed, it was opposed by the state’s main opposition party the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. The party’s allies, including the Congress, CPI(M) and the VCK had no problem with the celebration, though. The DMK’s main argument was that Tamil Nadu got the wrong end of the bargain in the linguistic reorganisation of states.

“The historic Tamil homeland was deprived of its traditional and historically held frontiers. While Tirupati, which was the northern frontier since the Sangam era went to Andhra Pradesh, Kolar and Bengaluru went to Karnataka. Similarly, Devikulam and Peermedu were merged with Kerala,” a write up in the party mouthpiece “Murasoli” argued . The DMK, however, was in the minority. It’s ally, the CPI(M) held seminars at many places in the state besides bringing out special editions of its magazine to mark the occasion while the VCK went a step further and demanded that Tamil Nadu too should have its own flag on the lines of neighbouring Karnataka.

“Rather than being an empty celebration, this should be an occasion to help redeem Tamil nationalism which is bereft of caste and communal divisions,” VCK president Thol. Thirumavalavan said in a statement.

Successive DMK and AIADMK governments have not deemed it necessary to celebrate a state formation day since Tamil Nadu is the successor state of Madras Presidency under the British.

However, a section of scholars and Tamil nationalists have pressed for celebrating the State Day. Tamil nationalist leader Pazha Nedumaran has accused the Dravidian parties of not celebrating the day since their dream of Dravida Nadu has turned futile.