திராவிடன், தமிழன் ஆகிய சொற்களை அரசியல் தளத்தில் அடையாளச் சொற்களாகப் பயன்படுத்திய முன்னோடியும் தமிழ்ச் சிந்தனை மரபின் தவிர்க்க முடியாத...

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin paid glowing tributes to Pandit Iyothee Thass on the occasion of his birth anniversary, venerating the revolutionary scholar as a towering intellectual pioneer of the Dravidian movement. Stalin underscored that Iyothee Thass was among the earliest visionary thinkers to deploy the foundational terms 'Dravidan' and 'Tamilan' as empowering political identity markers to awaken oppressed communities against social tyranny.

The Chief Minister recalled Iyothee Thass's historic proclamation that eradicating caste pride and internal social hierarchy was far more vital than boycotting foreign goods, highlighting the profound moral clarity of his egalitarian philosophy. Stalin urged the younger generation to study Iyothee Thass's extensive writings on Buddhism, rationalism, literature, and indigenous medicine to cultivate critical thinking and social consciousness. He noted that the state government is constructing a grand memorial hall in Chennai to ensure that Iyothee Thass's intellectual contributions remain immortalized.

Stalin reiterated that the Dravidian Model governance is firmly rooted in the anti-caste principles, egalitarian ethics, and rationalist humanism championed by Iyothee Thass. He pledged to carry forward the reformer's emancipatory vision of universal education, social dignity, and equality for all citizens.