Overview
- The Union home minister deleted or revised a social media post that wished Thiruvalluvar Day instead of Pongal.
- Tamil Nadu minister TRB Rajaa said the BJP does not understand Tamils or their calendar and questioned Delhi Pongal celebrations hosted a day earlier.
- Senior DMK leader T K S Elangovan called the mistake proof of poor knowledge of Tamil culture and urged the BJP to embrace Thiruvalluvar’s egalitarian teaching.
- BJP spokesperson ANS Prasad said the post was adjusted to follow the customary sequence of Thai Pongal first and Thiruvalluvar Day the next day, denying any malice.
- Context: Thiruvalluvar Day falls on the second day of the Tamil month Thai, which coincides with Mattu Pongal during the multi-day harvest festival.