The DMK on Sunday condemned Governor R.N. Ravi ‘s comments on Santana Dharma and said they were in contravention of the Constitution and against 90% of India’s population.
In a statement, DMK treasurer and MP T.R. Baalu said the Governor had said it was “Sanatana Dharma which had built this Bharat [India]” and spoken about Americans bombing Kandahar and Peshawar.
“These statements are not good for the constitutional position he holds... Who is the Governor trying to guide,” Mr. Baalu asked. He felt that Mr. Ravi’s speech was an attempt to tear down the Constitution’s founding principles.
“A person who should propagate secular principles is acting in favour of a particular community and making comments against other communities and is, in fact, instigating violence against them in a public forum,” he said.
According to him, the Governor citing examples of Americans bombing certain cities was an attempt to create internal disturbances in the country and there was a suspicion that the Governor was making these statements to spark fear in the State.
Mr. Baalu said the Sanatana Dharma promoted separate rules for every community, while “everyone is equal before law and there are no differences”. The Governor should not make such statements in the future, he said.
DMK mouthpiece Murasoli, in a commentary on Sunday, hit out at the Madurai Aadheenam, “reminding” him of late Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s action against the Kanchi Sankaracharya. The editorial said Jayalalithaa not only arrested Sri Jayendra Saraswathi but also took several steps “to defame him”. (The seer was acquitted by the court.)
“The Madurai Aadheenam must think about all this. He should not consider this as a threat and should not resort to gimmicks like he will go to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah [to complain]. It is he who needs to go and meet them, while the Presidents and the Prime Ministers used to wait for appointments with the Kanchi Shankaracharya. The Madurai Aadheenam must look at what had happened to such a person and use caution while making statements,” the article said.
The editorial said those who were disturbing public order and peace and indulging in criminal activities would be dealt with as per law.
Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K.S. Alagiri also condemned Mr. Ravi’s speech and said the Governor’s actions were not only anti-people but were also against the Constitution. He warned that if the Governor did not stop indulging in “dividing the people” of the State, he would have to face massive protests.
