Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], January 15 (ANI): Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan on Wednesday participated in the 56th anniversary celebrations of the Tamil weekly magazine Thuglak, held at the Narada Gana Sabha auditorium in Teynampet, Chennai.

The event was organised to commemorate 56 years of Thuglak, a publication widely known for its sharp political satire, ideological debates, and commentary on national and state politics.

The programme was presided over by Thuglak editor S. Gurumoorthy and featured senior leaders from various political parties, intellectuals, academicians, and long-time readers of the magazine.

During the event, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan extended Pongal greetings to the people of Tamil Nadu, beginning his speech with a greeting in Tamil. Acknowledging that he could not speak Tamil fluently, he said he had made an effort, as Tamil was a great and powerful language with rich cultural and communicative strength.

Pradhan said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had always given special importance to the Tamil language and its heritage. Describing Pongal as a deeply rooted Indian festival, he noted that while South India celebrates Pongal and North India celebrates different festivals, all festivals reflect India's unity in diversity.

Highlighting Tamil Nadu's economic significance, the Union Minister said the state contributes nearly nine percent to India's GDP and serves as a major economic gateway for the country. He also referred to the Thirukkural, stating that the ancient Tamil text had transcended language and cultural boundaries and earned global recognition.

Speaking on the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, Pradhan said the policy aimed to enrich education by blending traditional Indian values with modern learning practices. He clarified that the NEP neither replaces nor weakens mother languages and stressed that learning three languages does not harm one's primary language.

Responding to criticism, he said NEP 2020 had not been imposed anywhere and was designed for the country's future development rather than political considerations.

The Union Minister reiterated that NEP 2020 promotes multilingualism, inclusive growth, and holistic development, while respecting India's linguistic and cultural diversity.

Among those present were BJP State General Secretary Professor Raama Sreenivasan, senior BJP leader H. Raja, AIADMK senior leader Duraisamy, founder of Puthiya Needhi Katchi A.C. Shanmugam, Vellore Ibrahim, Congress leader Trichy Veluswamy, several BJP leaders, and a large number of Thuglak readers and well-wishers.

Congress leader Trichy Veluswamy, addressing the gathering, said that political alliances in Tamil Nadu were not permanent and could change at any time. He remarked that the party that allocates ministerial positions to the Congress would effectively become the ruling party, while others would remain in the opposition.

He stated that Congress would never ally with the BJP. Emphasising the importance of leadership qualities, Veluswamy said that voters must carefully evaluate candidates in the upcoming elections.

'More than becoming an MP, MLA or Chief Minister, one should be a good human being,' he said. Referring to past political developments, he observed that some leaders who once held high constitutional positions were later seen lamenting after losing power. He pointed out that no one had ever spoken ill of former Chief Minister K. Kamaraj, attributing this to his integrity and personal character.

Calling for political change in the 2026 Assembly elections, Veluswamy said the principle of 'discarding the old and embracing the new' should guide voters and urged people to bring about transformation by electing ethical and capable leaders.

Professor Ram Srinivasan said he had been a Thuglak reader since the age of 13 and credited the magazine with introducing Tamil readers to national politics. He remarked that Thuglak played a significant role in familiarising Tamil Nadu with organisations such as the RSS and recalled that it was at a Thuglak anniversary event that Cho Ramaswamy had once predicted Narendra Modi's rise as Prime Minister.

The celebrations concluded with tributes to Thuglak's legacy and its founder, Cho Ramaswamy, reaffirming the magazine's enduring role in shaping political debate, satire, and ideological discourse in Tamil Nadu for over five decades. (ANI)