Chennai: The government will reconsider moving the statue of Sivaji Ganesan back to the Marina beach front if we get a lot of representations, said a State Minister.
Minister for Information and Publicity Kadambur Raju paid tributes to the actor on his 90th birthday, on behalf of the government at the Sivaji memorial in Adyar this morning. Speaking to reporters, the Minister said the government will reconsider shifting the statue of the actor to Marina, where it was first installed.
There is a lot of politics and pressure involved in the Nadigar Thilagam’s statue being moved out of the Marina. After a lot of efforts by various agencies and civil society, Sivaji’s statue was unveiled near the DGP’s office in the Marina during the DMK rule.
But the court was moved to remove the statue from near the signal as it allegedly blocked the view for vehicle-users during the AIADMK regime. After a few years, the court ordered the removal of the statue from the vantage point.
The government then promised to construct a mani mandapam (memorial) for Sivaji in Adyar and shift the statue to the premises – which it eventually did.
Today being the 90th birth anniversary of the versatile actor-politician, Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, accompanied by other ministers, garlanded the statue at the Adyar memorial.