Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has banned food items including flowers, vegetables, eggs, milk and poultry from Tamil Nadu for the Onam festival. Onam is celebrated every year in the state of Kerala. During the Onam festival, flowers are decorated and flowers worth about Rs 100 crore are sent to Kerala from the Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu, including the Tovalai flower market, Nilakkottai, Coimbatore and Hosur.
Similarly, food items including vegetables, poultry, eggs and meat will go from Tamil Nadu and trade worth about Rs 200 crore will take place in Kerala. The current Chief Minister of Kerala, Hon’ble Pinarayi Vijayan, has banned flowers and food items from Tamil Nadu citing the corana epidemic. Eighty percent of Kerala youth do not want to celebrate Onam. The Communist Party of Kerala (CPI) has been commenting in favor of Pinarayi Vijayan on why he should follow the old customs.
In this regard, all party leaders, including the Kerala State SNDP leader, have demanded that flowers and food items coming from Tamil Nadu for the Onam festival should not be banned and that Binarai Vijayan should lift the ban. Onam is one of the most important festivals celebrated by the Hindus of Kerala. The state of Kerala will be celebrating for ten days. It is unjust that the Chief Minister of Kerala has issued orders to ban this festival which is celebrated by all irrespective of caste.
Pinarayi Vijayan did not ban the trade of food items from Tamil Nadu during the Islamic festivals of Ramzan, Bakrid and Christian festivals, even when there was a corona epidemic in the past. In particular, large numbers of cows and buffaloes are not barred from going to Kerala daily for meat. But he has deliberately issued such an order with the intention of banning the Hindu festival of Onam which is celebrated by Malayalees all over the world.
Pinarayi Vijayan continues to act with contempt for Tamil Nadu, the people of Tamil Nadu and the Tamils living in Kerala. This is highly reprehensible.
In order to celebrate the Onam festival in a grand way, flowers and vegetables should be sent to Kerala from Tamilnadu. Onam festival is to be celebrated all over the state of Kerala on the 31st. As a result, florists, vegetable traders, poultry, eggs and meat sellers in Tamil Nadu have lost about 300 crore rupees. Flowers and vegetables to be taken to Kerala are stored in the markets in Tamil Nadu.
Therefore, the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu should also intervene in this matter and pave the way for the flow of flowers and food items to the State of Kerala. Pinarai Vijayan should reconsider his order. The Government of Tamil Nadu should take appropriate action on this request / complaint.
Image Credit – Deccan Chronicle
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