Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam on Tuesday urged the Central Government to include the Pongal festival in the list of “compulsory” holidays and also declare an additional optional holiday for the festival.

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the text of which was released to the media here, Panneerselvam said the Central Government notifies a list of holidays with 14 days falling under the category “compulsory” holiday. He said three holidays from a list of 12 optional holidays are to be notified by the Central Government Employees Welfare Co-ordination Committee in different state capitals.

“It is seen that Pongal finds place only in the list of 12 optional holidays. As a result, Pongal is not a compulsory holiday for Central Government offices in Tamil Nadu,” Panneerselvam said.

“This apparent diminution in the importance accorded to Pongal for the past several years has created disquiet and an impression that an important people’s festival of Tamil Nadu has been ignored by the Central Government,” Panneerselvam added.

He requested Modi to include Pongal in the list of compulsory holidays to be observed by all the Central Government offices in Tamil Nadu.

“Therefore to meet the legitimate aspirations of the people of Tamil Nadu, I request that Pongal be included in the list of Compulsory Holidays to be observed by all Central Government Administrative offices in Tamil Nadu.”

In addition, an additional day for Pongal may also be included in the list of 12 optional holidays so that Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar Day could also be declared as a holiday in Tamil Nadu.

Meanwhile political parties in Tamil Nadu criticised the BJP-led Central Government for cancelling the compulsory holiday for Pongal.

DMK’s Working President M K Stalin has announced an agitation on Wednesday.

For the past 15 years, Central Government employees wanting to celebrate Pongal festival can opt for restricted holiday (RH) and there was no national holiday, clarified leaders of BJP and PMK.

In a statement issued here, the President of the Tamil Nadu BJP, Tamilisai Soundararajan, said the situation now is no different from what it was when the DMK was sharing power at the Centre as part of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA). She said the party was protesting for the sake of protesting.

PMK leader and former Union Minister Anbumani Ramadoss also demanded inclusion of Pongal in the Central Government’s compulsory holiday list.

The festival of Pongal is celebrated to thank the Sun, rain and farm animals. It would be celebrated on January 14 this year.