‘Saffron’ Thiruvalluvar portrait removed after row at TN Agricultural University in Coimbatore
The Hindu
Officials and replaced it with a portrait of the ancient poet in white attire that was approved by the State government, following media reports sparking a controversy
The Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) in Coimbatore removed the portrait of Tamil saint-poet Thiruvalluvar that depicted him donning saffron robes on Thursday, after media reports sparked a controversy. Officials removed the portrait that was in the university’s library, on Thursday morning, and replaced it with a portrait of the ancient poet in white attire that was approved by the State government. Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare M.R.K. Panneerselvam said in a tweet that “as per preliminary investigations” the saffron-clad portrait was installed in 2017-18. After speaking to the TNAU authorities, the official portrait of Thiruvalluvar was installed “in the same spot,” the Minister tweeted.The election authorities are gearing up for the counting of votes cast in the simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh, scheduled to be held on June 4. The Collectors and Election Officers of Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli and Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) districts said on May 23 (Thursday) that their teams were ready for the counting of votes.
Responding to the prolonged water scarcity, the residents of the area took to the streets in protest on Wednesday. The protest, which drew attention to their plight, stopped only after the intervention of the police. It was not until 1.30 p.m. that a 4000-litre tanker was finally delivered by BWSSB, providing relief to the water-starved residents.