By DC Correspondent

Copyright deccanchronicle

CHENNAI: Leaders from various political parties celebrated the 147th birth anniversary of the founder of the Dravidar Kazhagam, Periyar E V Ramasamy, by paying tributes to him at his memorial in Periyar Tidal, Chennai, with the Chief Minister M K Stalin administering the ‘Social Justice Day’ pledge at Trichy, vowing to strive for the formation of a society with social justice as the base. Stalin, who landed at Trichy by flight from Chennai on his way to Karur to preside over the DMK’s Mumperum Vizha (Three Great Festivals) at Karur on Wednesday, garlanded a portrait placed near the statue of Periyar at the bus stand area and administered the pledge at the District Collector’s office premises. Leader of the Opposition, Edappadi K Palaniswami, pledged to usher in a rule of real equality, as envisaged by Periyar, after the 2026 Assembly elections. In his message on X, he said Periyar sowed the seeds of rationalism by raising questions. PMK founder S Ramadoss, in a press meet at his residence in Thailapuram, remembered Periyar as the icon of Social Justice, while PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss took a vow to travel in the path of Social Justice through a message on X. President of the Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam Vijay garlanded the bust of Periyar at his party’s headquarters in Panaiyur in the outskirts of Chennai, while his party general secretary N Anand paid homage at the resting place of the Dravidian leader. At the memorial of Periyar at Vaikom in Kerala’s Kottayam district, the district collector and other officials garlanded the statue of Periyar. The memorial was erected by the Tamil Nadu government in memory of Periyar who was imprisoned by the king of Travancore in 1925 for his active participation in the prolonged protest in Vaikom against the ban on people of lower castes passing through the streets around the temple.