இந்தியர் எனும் பெருமை, அமைதி அறவழி காட்டிய அண்ணல் காந்தியடிகளையே சாரும்! மதவெறியர்களால் அவர் சுட்டுக்கொல்லப்பட்டபோது, 'காந்தி தேசம்' எனப் பெயரிட...

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin hoisted the national tricolor at Fort St. George on India's seventy-fifth Independence Day, paying homage to freedom fighters and reflecting on the constitutional milestones that shaped Indian federalism. Stalin recalled that prior to 1974, state Chief Ministers were denied the democratic right to hoist the national flag on Independence Day, a restriction ended when former Chief Minister Muthamizharignar Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi campaigned successfully to establish this vital federal privilege.

Stalin invoked the moral legacy of Mahatma Gandhi, asserting that true pride in being Indian is anchored in Gandhi's uncompromising path of non-violence, communal brotherhood, and truth. He recalled that when religious fanatics assassinated the Father of the Nation in 1948, Dravidian icon Thanthai Periyar urged that the subcontinent be named Gandhi Desam to preserve his secular memory against communal hatred.

The Chief Minister stated that honoring freedom fighters requires continuous administrative vigilance to safeguard constitutional democracy, secular brotherhood, and federal equity. He reaffirmed that Tamil Nadu will always stand as an unyielding fortress protecting secularism, progressive humanism, and the democratic rights of all citizens across the republic.