The DMK on Thursday sought the intervention of the Chief Secretary to take steps to restore the names of leaders like Dravidar Kazhagam founder Periyar E.V. Ramasamy to roads in Chennai, whose names “have been changed recently”.
In a memorandum to Chief Secretary Rajiv Ranjan, DMK organisation secretary R. Bharathi, party MP P. Wilson and senior advocate N.R. Elango urged him to take up the issue with the appropriate authorities, including the Centre.
They complained that while the name of the Poonamallee High Road, named after Periyar, had been changed to Grand Western Trunk Road, roads bearing the names of former Chief Ministers C.N. Annadurai and K. Kamaraj had also been changed.
“It is quite apparent that the changes have been done to please the ideologies of the AIADMK’s masters from the north, whose dislike for the Dravidian movement and its icon Thanthai Periyar is well known,” the party said in the memorandum.
‘Aim to Sanskritise’
It also alleged that the aim of the BJP was to “Sankritise” and “saffronise” everything.
“The action of changing names of roads and the sheer disrespect to Tamil icons cutting across parties have caused unrest in the State and this may even lead to agitations,” the DMK warned.
