Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin on Thursday gave a clarion call to intensify the fight against caste and gender discrimination and stressed on the importance of creating an egalitarian society. His Kerala counterpart Pinarayi Vijayan highlighted value of "cooperation" as the two came together for the inauguration of the renovated Periyar memorial and library at Vaikom in Kottayam district.
The memorial and library have been established in honour of Dravidar Kazhagam founder ‘Periyar' E V Ramasamy who played a key role in the Vaikom Satyagraha, a struggle for equality, a century ago. "The satyagraha inspired several social battles in the country and the celebration of its centenary is not just to honour its leaders but also to remind us about the responsibility of creating equality in society which they dreamed of," Stalin later told a public meeting. "Vaikom was not an isolated victory, it was the beginning of victories."
Beginning his speech in Malayalam, Stalin said a magnificent memorial was built for Periyar at the same place where he was prevented from entering and where he was arrested 100 years ago. "This is a victory for Periyar, Periyarism and Dravidian movement,'' Stalin said. Concluding his speech in Malayalam, Stalin said Vaikom is not a case of individual victory, but the beginning of a series of victories. "Lets break the barriers and win in our endeavour. We will establish an egalitarian society at any cost."
Vijayan said Kerala and TN were supporting each other on common issues and showing true examples of cooperative federalism. "What we saw in Vaikom Satyagraha was coexistence and cooperation across borders."
Stalin honoured Vaikom award winner Devanur Mahadeva of Karnataka. Earlier, Vijayan and Stalin held an informal discussion over breakfast at Kumarakom Lake Resort. Stalin had taken a houseboat ride on the Vembanad Lake on Wednesday evening.