PM Modi, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry CMs Among Others Extend Pongal Greetings

Chennai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit and state Chief Minister K Palaniswami, among other leaders, extended greetings to the people on harvest festival of Pongal.

In a tweet, the Prime Minister said, "On the auspicious occasion of Pongal, best wishes to my sisters and brothers of Tamil Nadu. I pray that this day furthers the spirit of joy and prosperity in our society. We also salute our farmers, who work hard to feed the nation."

Asking people to take pride in their tradition and culture, the Governor said, "Keep the banner of the Tamil way of life flying high for all times to come." "On the auspicious occasion of Pongal, I convey my heartiest greetings and best wishes to the people of Tamil Nadu," he said.

Chief Minister Palaniswami mentioned about the state government's Pongal gift of Rs 1,000 to all ration cardholders besides listing out listed out various initiatives taken for the welfare of the farmers. "Let this Pongal bring in prosperity and wellness in your lives," he said.

DMK president M K Stalin, CPI(M) leader K Balakrishnan and state BJP president Tamilisai Soundararajan also extended their greetings. On January 5, the state government had launched a scheme of providing Rs 1,000 to all ration cardholders on the occasion of Pongal festival, being celebrated on January 15.

Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi and Chief Minister V Narayanasamy also extended Pongal greetings to the people of the Union Territory.

In her message on the eve of the harvest festival, Bedi said, "Pongal celebrated with fervour by the Tamils across the world stands out as a unique festival." The festival is celebrated as a thanksgiving day, to express gratitude to Mother Nature and Sun God, she added.

Chief minister Narayanasamy wished people on the eve of the harvest festival. He made a veiled attack on the Lt Governor on the issue of Pongal gift hampers and said the government had intended to ensure availability of the freebies for the festival to all families.

However, obstacles had been put in the implementation of the proposal, he said adding they would be removed at the earliest. The Lt Governor has come under attack from Narayanasamy after she insisted on sticking to a government order which restricted Pongal gift hamper scheme to BPL families in the union territory.

Member of Parliament R Radhakrishnan, Ministers and Assembly Speaker V Vaithilingam extended Pongal wishes to the people.