Chennai: The state will soon conduct a gala event to award film personalities, police and the successful industrialists, Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa announced in the Assembly on Friday.
Responding to a demand by DMK legislator Vaagai Chandrasekhar insisting that the state should not relocate the statue of Tamil actor Sivaji Ganesan from the Marina stretch, she said, “the state is not keen on removing the statue of the actor, but the government has to oblige the Madras high court order, which has directed the relocation of the veteran actor’s statue.
The court has been repeatedly asking the government, why the statue has not been removed and the government pleader has been buying time promising that a new memorial is coming up for the veteran actor. Once, the memorial is constructed the statue will be moved to the new place,” she said.
When the legislator reiterated that the state should go on an appeal in the court on the statue issue, the Chief Minister shot back, “It seems the member (Vagai Chandrasekar), who knows about cinema and acting, is not clear about the law of the land. If the member files a public interest litigation in the high court and avails an order favouring the continuation of Sivaji statue in its present location, the state will acknowledge it,” she said.
She also took a jibe against the previous DMK regime for not conducting awards and medal functions to felicitate cine artists and police personnel. “Only after, I came to power, we conducted a grand function to present all award and a similar function will soon be conducted,” she said amid applause from the treasury.
