Tamil Nadu Reiterates Bharat Ratna Demand For Annadurai And Jayalalitha

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister (CM) E Palaniswami has written to Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi for conferring the country’s highest civilian award to late TN leaders C N Annadurai and J Jayalalitha. He renewed the appeal for the aforementioned, and also to rename the central railway station in Chennai after former CM M G Ramachandran, referring to the decision adopted by the state cabinet on September 10.

Popularly known as Arignar Anna, the demand has been made for the very first time in the form of a cabinet resolution. However, the demand for conferring Bharat Ratna to Jayalalitha has been reiterated based on the recommendations of the cabinet dated 10 December, 2016.

According to The New Indian Express, in the letter written to PM Modi, CM Palaniswami has reflected on the contributions of Anna, some of the reforms he undertook which have had a long-lasting impact on the country’s politics. He said, “Anna was a titan among the politicians living in his era and was well respected even by his worst critics and fought tirelessly for improving the socio-economic conditions of the people.”

Regarding the demand for honouring Jayalalitha, he further wrote, “Jayalalithaa was astute, diplomatic and independent as a political leader. People, particularly women, adore her as their ‘Amma’. She was nationalistic in her outlook and progressive in her thinking. She rightly deserves the nation’s highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna.”