Written to PM today to implement the UPA assurance to me accepting my proposal to name Madurai airport in Muthuramalinga Thevar's name
October 16, 2014.
Shri Narendra Modi,
Prime Minister,
South Block,
New Delhi.
Dear Narendrabhai:
I write this letter to draw your attention to the famous Tamil FreedomFighter Shri Muthuramalinga Thevar who was elected as Member of
Parliament three times and who also created history when he was elected
to the Madras Legislative Assembly in 1937, defeating the Raja of Ramanad,
a pro-British King.
His election was historic because the Raja had the strong support
of the British rulers in India, and defeating him therefore was a very
difficult task. He also had a tremendous hold in the whole area of what is
now known as the district of Ramanathapuram. Therefore Sardar Patel
was keen to find a candidate who could defeat him and thus chose
Muthuramalinga Thevar as a Congress candidate. The British, to prevent himfrom contesting the election, issued a arrest warrant and yet
Muthuramalinga Thevar appeared before the Returning Officer and
Subsequently without campaigning won the election defeating the Raja.
The Governor of Madras then wrote to British authorities in London
that the British will not now be able to remain in Tamil Nadu if India
got Independence.
Muthuramalinga Thevar came from a backward caste family of
agriculturists. He was a strong Hindu who said that governance must
be harmonised with spirituality.
I had struggled hard to instal his statue in Parliament House in
2000. Congress was anti-Thevar because Muthuramalinga Thevar had
left the Congress to be with Netaji Subas Chandra Bose to become a
member of the Forwar4d Bloc. He was elected to Parliament afterIndependence on Forward Bloc ticket.
In 2001 I had obtained permission of the then NDA Government toname Madurai airport as Muthuramalingam Thevar International Airport
and to instal a statute in the airport. But persons like Mr. P. Chidambaram,
former Finance Minister and others prevented Mr. Praful Patel from
announcing the name of Madurai airport as Muthuramalinga Thevar
International Airport.
Muthuramalinga Thevar’s birthday (and death anniversary) is
celebrated every year on October 30th and therefore I urge you to instruct
the Civil Aviation Ministry to make an announcement that Madurai airport
will henceforth be known as Muthuramalinga Thevar International Airport
and thus the injustice meted out to a Freedom Fighter will be set right.
Best Regards,
Yours sincerely,
( SUBRAMANIAN SWAMY )