Fan club in Jaffna struggles to erect birth centenary statue for MGR

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 December 2016, 22:10 GMT]
The birth centenary of the late M.G. Ramachandran (MGR), the actor-turned Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, falls on 17 January 2017. To mark the contribution of both MGR and the late Jayalalithaa to the Tamil cause in the island, All Ceylon MGR Fan Club, based in Jaffna has been trying to erect memorial statues within the city limits of Jaffna in remembrance of both the late chief ministers of Tamil Nadu. However, the Colombo Establishment, which is controlling the affairs of Jaffna Municipal Council through an appointed Commissioner, is sabotaging the attempt, complained Pon Mathimukarajah Vijayakanth, the chairman of MGR Club at a press conference held at the Jaffna Press Club on Friday.

MGR statues erected by Eezham Tamils at several places in the past have been destroyed by the occupying Sinhala military during the times of war and the SL authorities have not been cooperating with the efforts of the people to reconstruct the destroyed statues.

The Indian Consulate General in Jaffna has also come under criticism for not taking any action in re-instating the statues of MGR that were desecrated.

In the meantime, the Indian Consulate has brought tens of Mahatma Gandhi statues that are to be erected at several localities in the five districts of North. One such statue, erected recently in front of Mullaiththeevu District Secretariat was pulled down by unknown actors in Vanni.

All MGR statues should be renovated in the North and East, Eezham Tamil prisoners held in Tiruchirappalli Central Prison in Tamil Nadu should be released and Tamil Nadu fishermen held in the prisons in the island should be released in connection with the marking of MGR centenary, Mr Mathimukarajah further said.

Mathimukrajah further said he was scheduled to make a trip to Tamil Nadu in an attempt to meet the current Chief Minister and AIDMK General Secretary before commencing the centenary celebrations in Jaffna on 18 January.

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