Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Thursday strongly condemned and categorically denied Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s allegation that the State government was encroaching on temples and swindling their wealth. He termed the allegations as slander and lies.
Addressing the valedictory event of year-long celebrations of the 200th birth anniversary of Vallalar, organised by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department, he questioned the need for the country’s Prime Minister to “construct false news” about one State while speaking in another State. He was referring to Mr. Modi’s recent speech in Telangana where he made this accusation.
Mr. Stalin said the present DMK government, since coming to power, had retrieved over ₹3,500-crore worth land that belonged to temples. Similarly, in this period, 1,000 temples have been consecrated and ₹100 crore had been allocated to restore 112 historically important temples. Moreover, work has been planned in another 5,078 temples in the current financial year, he said, adding that the problem was not in the way the temples were managed, but in the Prime Minister’s perspective.
While theology was everyone’s personal choice, the Chief Minister alleged that a group was, however, trying to use it for politics.
He said a few people were trying to confuse the people of Tamil Nadu, who are rational enough to segregate politics and religion. Noting that Vallalar was against divisions based on religion and caste and treated every living being as one, Mr. Stalin said the divisive forces would dim in the wisdom of the saint.
A section of the people were unable to digest how [the people of Tamil Nadu] were upholding both ‘Periyar’ E.V. Ramasamy and Vallalar. Similarly, those people were confused that a government, claiming to be based on ‘Dravidian Model’, was taking good care of temples, he added.
Mr. Stalin said while it was late Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi who first created “Vallalar Nagar” in Chennai, the present government had announced the saint’s birth anniversary as ‘Thaniperum Karunai’ day.
At the function, Mr. Stalin released the order for the construction of Vallalar International Centre at Vadalur at a cost of ₹99.9 crore, which he pointed out was an electoral promise of the DMK.
He said the bus stand to be constructed on 17 acres in Cuddalore would be named after ‘Arutpragasa Vallalar’.
CM praises Minister
He lauded HR &CE Minister P.K. Sekarbabu and officials of the Department for successfully organising the year-long “Vallalar-200” celebrations.
Sri La Sri Ambalavana Desika Paramacharya Swamigal, the 24th head of Thiruvavaduthurai Adheenam, spoke at the function and appreciated the government for the consecration of 1,000 temples and the appointment of ‘odhuvars’, including women, in temples.
