Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Barnala, Karunanidhi extend Pongal greetings

CHENNAI: Governor Surjit Singh Barnala and leaders of various political parties greeted people on the occasion of Pongal.

Conveying his heartiest greetings and good wishes to the people, Mr. Barnala said: “May this festival rekindle the spirit of unity and harmony and usher in peace and prosperity.”

Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi highlighted farmer-friendly policies of the State Government and said crop loans to the tune of Rs.7,000 crore had been waived after the party came to power. It had so far disbursed Rs. 881.40 crore to farmers in the current year.

Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president M. Krishnasswamy said Pongal was an occasion for farmers, who toiled throughout the year for providing food to the people, to rejoice with their families. Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary Vaiko said Pongal was a national festival for Tamils, especially for farmers. He hoped that the festival would usher in prosperity, as they had suffered a lot due to frequent power cuts and shortage of fertilizers in the State. S. Thirunnavukkarasar, Bharatiya Janata Party MP, appealed to people in the State to pray for early end to the sufferings of Tamils in Sri Lanka and Malaysia.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) State secretary N. Varadarajan, CPI State secretary D. Pandian and Prince of Arcot Nawab Mohammed Abdul Ali wished happiness and prosperity to the people.

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