Overview
- At a Pongal celebration hosted at Union Minister L. Murugan's residence in New Delhi, the prime minister said Tamil culture belongs to the nation and to humanity.
- He described Pongal as a global festival and emphasized gratitude to farmers, the Earth and the Sun while highlighting harmony with nature, family and society.
- In a letter to Tamil Nadu, he called Pongal a shining symbol of Tamil traditions and noted pride in Tamil as the world's oldest language.
- Coverage noted the messaging as strategically timed before the state elections, with a Chennai visit and public rally scheduled for January 23.
- The Tamil Nadu government’s festival support package remains in effect, offering one kilogram of raw rice, one kilogram of sugar and a full-length sugarcane to eligible beneficiaries.