EPS Demands Bharat Ratna for Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar, Calls for Madurai Airport to be Renamed in His Honour

AIADMK General Secretary and Leader of the Opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) on Sunday demanded that the Central Government confer the nation’s highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, on freedom fighter Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar, and also pressed for the renaming of Madurai Airport after the legendary leader. “Pasumpon ayya lived with nationalism and spirituality as his two eyes. He donated his property without regard to caste or religion, and stood tall as a patriot and philanthropist. It is time for the nation to honour him with the Bharat Ratna, and to name Madurai Airport after this great son of India,” Palaniswami declared at a massive public meeting in Athur, part of his statewide outreach yatra ‘Makkalai Kaappom, Thamizhagathai Meetpom’.

Addressing thousands of men, women, and youth who turned up to hear his speech, EPS spoke passionately about the neglect of Dindigul and Athur, condemning DMK’s failure to deliver development to Athur, Ottanchathram and Palani constituencies despite being in power for more than four years. “In 52 months of DMK rule, not a single major project has been given to this district, even though a minister hails from here. Compare that with AIADMK, which built a Rs 350 crore Government Medical College Hospital in Dindigul during my tenure as Chief Minister. We built it so that quality treatment would be available to all, regardless of money. What has the DMK delivered? Nothing!” he charged.

EPS went on to launch a sharp attack on the DMK’s handling of law and order. He pointed to the assault on social worker ‘Airport’ Moorthy right in front of the DGP’s office in Chennai, with police standing by, as proof that law and order had collapsed. He also cited the petrol bomb attack on the Aduthurai Town Panchayat Chairman’s office, which left two people grievously injured, calling it evidence of a dangerous ‘bomb culture’ spreading across Tamil Nadu. He further highlighted the shocking case of a DMK panchayat president with multiple criminal cases who was caught red-handed stealing four sovereigns of jewellery from a bus passenger. “When those in public life themselves indulge in crime, how will ordinary people be safe? Murder, robbery, molestation, and theft have become daily headlines under DMK misrule. Do we need such a puppet Chief Minister?” he asked. 

Concluding his address, EPS invoked the legacy of AIADMK’s founders, MGR and Jayalalithaa. “MGR founded this party to uplift the poor, and Amma carried that mission forward. We ruled in their footsteps, creating schemes that transformed lives. Today, the DMK has cancelled those schemes, stolen people’s rights, and allowed crime and drugs to spread. Tamil Nadu needs a government that delivers, not one that cheats. AIADMK will bring that government back,” he said to thunderous applause.

About “Makkalai Kaappom, Thamizhagathai Meetpom” Yatra

In July 2025, AIADMK General Secretary and Leader of Opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami launched the statewide outreach yatra ‘Makkalai Kaappom, Thamizhagathai Meetpom’ (Let’s Protect the People, Let’s Save Tamil Nadu). Covering thousands of kilometres and hundreds of constituencies, the yatra is designed to engage directly with farmers, workers, women, youth, and citizens across Tamil Nadu, listening to their concerns and reaffirming AIADMK’s commitment to accountable, corruption-free, and development-driven governance.