After the central government shifted Pongal from the ‘compulsory holidays list’ to ‘restricted holidays list’, it has come as a shock to many political party leaders, who have condemned the move.

AIADMK general secretary VK Sasikala said, “I’m shocked over turning Pongal into a restricted holiday by removing it from the list if compulsory holidays. It is very essential to announce Pongal days as holiday irrespective of the day (Saturday) on which it falls. Taking into view the rights and sentiments of Tamils, the Centre must declare Pongal day as holiday,” reported The New Indian Express.

DMK working president MK Stalin said, “It raises a big question over the secular ethos with the Centre already attempting to impose Hindi and Sanskrit on the mother tongues of all the states, from Kashmir to Tamil Nadu and by trying to drive communal principles through the New Education Policy. This decision is nothing but a culmination of this.”

TNCC president S Thiruvukkarasar, MDMK general secretary Vaiko, CPM leader Rangarajan, Dravidar Kazhagam president K Veeramani and MMK leader MH Jawahirullah also questioned the Centre’s move.

Vaiko said that the state is already feeling the pain over not allowing Jallikattu and the removal of Pongal from compulsory holidays list is like rubbing salt into the wounds.

He added that it is an attack on Tamil culture and the PM should intervene in this. Stalin has announced that they will be conducting an agitation against this move on January 11.

A central government official told TNIE that this holiday is only for employees of essential services of the central government and not for the people employed in the state government.

He said that Pongal had always been on restricted holidays list and only last year it was shifted to compulsory holidays list because Gandhi Jayanthi came on Sunday.