Thiruvalluvar statue unveiled amid tight security

Bangalore, Aug 9 (PTI) Amid tight security, a bronze
statue of Tamil saint-poet Thiruvalluvar was finally unveiled
here on Sunday by Chief Minister of south Indian state of
Tamil Nadu M Karunanidhi, ending an 18-year standoff on the
issue following opposition from pro-Kannada groups.

Barring a minor protest by Karnataka Rakshana Vedike
activists at Malleswara, about 10 km from the main function
venue, the ceremony passed off without any trouble with about
3,000 security personnel maintaining a tight vigil.

Police had rounded up over 1,000 activists of
pro-Kannada organisations since August 7 to thwart pro-Kannada
outfits from disrupting the event.

The 83-year-old DMK leader unveiled the statue by
pressing a remote control button at RBANM grounds in the
presence of Chief Minister another south Indian state of
Karnataka B S Yeddyurappa, as part of statue-diplomacy between
the two states which is expected to turn a new leaf in the
strained relations over the Cauvery river water sharing issue.

Union Minister for Communications and IT A Raja,
ministers from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, MPs, MLAs, writers and
other eminent people were present at the function.

The Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam (DMK) leader was
brought to the venue in a wheelchair and his wife Dayalu was
seated beside him.

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders M Venkaiah
Naidu, H N Ananthkumar and Yeddyurappa's ministerial
colleagues were also present.

Castigating the Kanadda outfits, which had called for
a bandh to protest the unveiling, the High Court too had
dismissed a petition seeking a stay on the unveiling.

"Let us not divide the nation on caste, language...we
are all one," the court said in his observations adding, "when
the country is emerging as a major power, let us bury all
this". PTI JD
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