Kannagi statue will be reinstalled within 2 weeks: Karunanidhi

Chennai, May 16 (UNI) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi today announced that the statue of Kannagi, an epic heroine who is seen as symbolising Tamil womanhood and Tamils' zest for justice, would be reinstalled on Marina within a fortnight.

The statue was removed during the previous AIADMK regime on the ground that a speeding truck, hit the pedestal of the statue and posed threat to the 33-year-old statue.

Talking to newspersons after a cabinet meeting here, Mr Karunanidhi said he had inspected the statue, now kept at the government museum and steps would be taken to reinstall at the same place within two weeks.

He said son of eminent sculptor Nagappa had also inspected the statue and opined that some works need to be done before it was reinstalled.

Disputing the theory that the statue was removed because of the accident, involving a truck, he said the statue appeared to be deliberately removed and not due to damage to the pedestal as was claimed by the previous AIADMK regime.

The statue does not seem to have damaged because of the ''accident'' The iron rod from head to toe, was seen cut off from the pedestal and this was not as the result of accident, he said.

Mr Karunanidhi, as Public Works Minister in the first DMK Ministry headed by C N Annadurai, was instrumental in having the statue installed on the occasion of the second world Tamil conference, held here in January 1968.

After the AIADMK came to power in May 2001 and when Mr O Panneerselvam was the interim Chief Minister, the statue was removed on December six, on the ground that its pedestal was damaged after a truck hit it.

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