Chennai: DMK president M Karunanidhi today
said he would celebrate the birth of Tamil month "Thai"
(January) as the new year saying it was the people who to
decide when it should be celebrated.
"Only the Tamil people have the right to decide when the
festival should be celebrated. Last year, we had celebrated it
in Thai (January) and we will celebrate it this year also," he
told reporters here upon his return from Tiruvarur after
visiting Thane cyclone affected areas.
Last year it had been celebrated on the first day of Tamil
month Thai, which has since been revised by the ruling AIADMK.
In 2008, Karunanidhi had announced that the Tamil New Year
would be celebrated on the first day of the auspicious month
of 'Thai', coinciding with the harvest festival of Pongal.
However, the Jayalalithaa government had reversed the
New Year to Tamil month of "Chithirai"(April) after it assumed
power defeating DMK in the April 13 Assembly polls.
To a question on the alleged delay in relief works in
cyclone affected areas of Cuddalore and other areas, he said
he was of the opinion that opposition parties should cooperate
with the government at such times "and I have done that," he
said in an apparent reference to his visiting the affected
areas.
He had earlier said that he will assess the various relief
measures required to be taken by the Central and state
governments and take it up with them.
PTI
First Published: Friday, January 06, 2012, 15:14