At a public hearing regarding the Pen Memorial to be built in the sea for former chief minister and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president M Karunanidhi, MC Munusamy, the president of the Tamil Nadu BJP Fishermen Cell asked if Karunanidhi was greater than saint-poet Thiruvalluvar because the proposed height of the memorial is 42 metres while the height of the Thiruvalluvar statue is 29 metres.

Even when combined with the pedestal, the Thiruvalluvar statue at Kanyakumari has a total height of 41 metres.

DMK workers present in the audience created a ruckus when he said this.

Thiruvalluvar is famous for his Thirukkural, which is a collection of 1330 couplets on philosophy for life.

The Pen Memorial would be built in the sea at a distance of 360 metres from the coast and would be accessible from the existing Karunanidhi memorial near Marina Beach in Chennai through a bridge.

It is expected to cost the state exchequer around Rs 80 crore.

While the total project area would cover 8,551.13 square metres, about 2,263 square metres of sea area would have to be reclaimed for building the monument.

While supporters of the DMK say that the Pen Statue would be a fitting tribute to Karunanidhi who was a cinema scriptwriter and emphasised education and rationality, there are many who oppose the project.

Environmental activists say that the project site is a prime fishing ground and land reclamation required for the project could damage the coastline.

Poovulagin Nanbargal, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) that works for environmental protection, says that the Statue could instead be built on land within the already existing Karunanidhi memorial.

Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) chief Seeman too opposed the project saying that it would affect the livelihood of 13 fishing villages. He said that he would break the memorial if it was built in the sea.

Also Read: Karunanidhi Pen Statue: 'Rationality Gone For A Toss,' Says Tamil Nadu BJP Leader