Dravidian soil and Dravidian model of governance led by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin would not give any room for Sangh Parivar to gain political mileage using temples in the State, said Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Minister P.K. Sekarbabu.
At a conference on “Protection of Temple” organised by Tamil Nadu Platform for People’s Unity here on Sunday, Mr. Babu said that when attempts were made by Sangh Parivar to enter temples in Chennai, they were successfully broken. “They conducted meetings in two temples and asked their people to raise questions with the temple Executive Officers about hundial collection, details of workers and about administration of the temples,” he said.
When the issue was taken to the notice of Chief Minister, he strictly ordered not to allow any political meetings in the temples. After a police complaint was lodged in Chennai, such meetings in temples stopped.
Sangh Parivar would not be allowed to use spiritualism as a tool to set its foot in Tamil Nadu, he added.
Stating that consecration of 788 temples had been conducted by the present Government, Mr. Babu said that renovation work of Athikesavaperumal Temple in Tiruvattar, which had been going on for 18 years, was completed and its consecration was successfully conducted after 300 years.
He said that the DMK Government had gone one step forward in implementing the scheme of people belonging to all castes as priests of temples by appointing six women as ‘othuvars’ in HR and CE temples. Conducting archanas in Tamil was being implemented in phases in the temples. Similarly sanskritisation of village temples would not be allowed.
Mr. Babu also took a dig at Tamil Nadu Governor for describing Vallalar as an epitome of Sanatana Dharma, even as Vallalar stood for non-discrimination of people on the lines of castes and religion. The Government was establishing an international centre for Vallalar at a cost of ₹100 crore, he said.
State coordinator of TNPPU Arunan, Madurai MP Su. Venkatesan, MLAs G. Thalapathi, M. Boominathan, head of Tamil Saiva Peravai M. Kalaiarasi Natarajan, CPI (M) leader Mathukoor Ramalingam were among those who spoke.
