DMK accuses Venkaiah Naidu of 'saffronising' Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar

Vice President Venkaiah Naidu deleted a picture of Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar that he had tweeted on January 16 after strong protest by members of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party.

In his original post, Naidu had put up a picture of the bard in saffron robes, which irked the DMK. Responding to the tweet, they asked the VP not to 'saffronise' the philosopher and saint.

They claimed that the first picture tweeted by him suggested that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is attempting to saffronise every institution.

The tweet was swiftly taken down and Naidu shared another tweet greeting people on Valluvar Jayanti, this time using pictures of the saint in white robes instead.

Remembering great Tamil Poet, philosopher and Saint, Thiruvalluvar on his Jayanti today.#Thirukkuṛaḷ, authored by him provides guidance to mankind on how to lead a noble life. #Thiruvalluvar #Tamil pic.twitter.com/YETwVVcUlr

— Vice President of India (@VPSecretariat) January 16, 2020

Considered as one of the greatest classics in #Tamil #Literature on morality, values and ethics, the treatise on a variety of subjects, including governance remains relevant for all times. #Thiruvalluvar

Related stories

• 
  'No one is imposing Hindi': Annamalai hits out at DMK, launches BJP’s NEP campaign in Tamil Nadu
• 
  Actor Vijay unveils party flag: Tamil stars who made glamorous entry into south politics
• 
  Vijay unveils Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam party's flag and symbol, pledges commitment to equality

— Vice President of India (@VPSecretariat) January 16, 2020

The row sparked by the now-deleted image shared by Naidu gains added relevance given Tamil Nadu is set to become the next battleground for the political parties, with the BJP trying hard to make inroads in the southern state.