Amid tight security, a bronze statue of Tamil saint-poet Thiruvalluvar was finally unveiled here on Sunday by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, ending an 18-year standoff on the issue following opposition from pro-Kannada groups.
Barring a minor protest by Karnataka Rakshana Vedike activists at Malleswara, about 10 km from the main function venue, the ceremony passed off without any trouble with about 3,000 security personnel maintaining a tight vigil.
Police had rounded up over 1,000 activists of pro-Kannada organisations since August 7 to thwart pro-Kannada outfits from disrupting the event. The 83-year-old DMK leader unveiled the statue by pressing a remote control button at RBANM grounds in the presence of Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, as part of statue-diplomacy between the two states which is expected to turn a new leaf in the strained relations over the Cauvery river water sharing issue.
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