Periyar statue issue being raked up to divert attention from Cauvery issue: Kamal Haasan

Periyar statue issue being raked up to divert attention from Cauvery issue (formation of Cauvery management board), said Makkal Needhi Maiam founder and actor-turned-politician Kamal Hassan.

Addressing the media in Chennai amid the row over Periyar statue vandalisation, he said there was no need to deploy police for protection of Periyar statue. ''We Tamilians will protect it. I feel that this issue is just to divert attention from Cauvery issue (formation of Cauvery management board),'' he said. 

Two men vandalised a Periyar statue, located near a government office building in Tamil Nadu's Vellore.

The police have arrested two men. "One man is a BJP member and another a CPI worker," the police said.

According to the police, the act of vandalism occurred at around 9.15 pm in Tirupattur in Vellore district. 

The two men involved in the act were allegedly drunk. The statue was reportedly in front a government building.

"They are friends and were drunk. The two men damaged the glasses and the nose of the statue. They were arrested immediately," says police official.

Earlier, BJP national secretary H Raja threatened to take down statues of 'Periyar' EV Ramasamy soon, like the Lenin statue that was vandalised and razed in Tripura after the BJP's poll victory in the state. Raja's threat has sparked angry reactions from Tamil Nadu's political class.

Raja's threat came in a post on his verified Facebook page. "Who is Lenin? How is he connected to India? How is communism connected to India? The Lenin statue was razed in Tripura. Today it is a Lenin statue in Tripura. Tomorrow, it will be the statue of caste-crazed EV Ramasamy in Tamil Nadu," read his post, that was deleted after the fiery backlash.