Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami said that the southern states must come forward and share their surplus natural resources to establish unity among them. Speaking at an event in the Institute of Dravidian Studies of St Peter’s Institute of Higher Education, Chennai on Saturday, he said that resources such as water, electricity and food grains must be shared among the southern states if they are in surplus.

“I don’t just boast about our unity through language, culture and civilisation as Dravidians are self-sufficient. Beyond that, we should extend help to the neighbouring Dravidian States by sharing with each other the surplus water, electricity and grains. This can establish unity among the Dravidian States,” he said. 

He also urged the institute to create awareness among the states on the importance of sharing resources.

Speaking after the event, the Chief Minister also said that the south Indian states must come together to link Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Pennar, Palar, Cauvery, Vaigai, Gundar, Pamba, Achankovil and Vaippar rivers and assured that Tamil Nadu will support all steps taken towards accomplishing this.

Referring to the papers by scholars about the Dravidian culture in civilisations such as the Indus Valley, Harappa and Mohenjo Daro, he also said that while the Dravidian culture had attracted many researchers to it centuries ago, it must spread even more widely in this age of information technology. He added it was highly appropriate that the inauguration of the Institute of Dravidian Studies took place on the birth anniversary of former Chief Minister C N Annadurai, who was one of the forerunners of the Dravidian movement in Tamil Nadu.

Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, who was also present at the event said that it was the need of the hour to research into Dravidianism, its history and impact. “When we Google the word Dravidian, it shows several pages and documents of its significance, to enlighten us about our ancestors. We are humbled to note that many European scholars from the 16th century have done dedicated research in Dravidianism, its languages and literature,” he added.