DMK Not Against Ram Temple; Don't Agree With Shrine Built After Mosque Demolition: Udhayanidhi

DMK leader and Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on Thursday said his party is not against the Ram temple at Ayodhya but is opposed to the shrine coming up after "demolishing a mosque".

The late DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi had stated that DMK is not against a particular religion or faith, Udhayanidhi said, speaking to reporters in Chennai.

"We don't have a problem with a temple coming up there. We are not in agreement with the construction of a temple after demolishing a mosque," the DMK Youth Wing chief said, referring to the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992.

"Our Treasurer (T R Baalu) has already stated that spiritualism and politics should not be mixed," Udhayanidhi, who holds the state Youth Welfare and Sports Development portfolio, said.

The consecration of the grand temple at Ramjanmabhoomi in Ayodhya will be held on January 22. To a question on the NEET exam that Tamil Nadu has been battling to do away with, Udhayanidhi said the party has received about 85 lakh signatures against the target of 50 lakh, as part of its anti-NEET campaign. They would be handed over to party president and Chief Minister M K Stalin during the January 21 Youth Wing conference in Salem.

Later, the signatures, which have been received online and through post, would be handed over to the President in New Delhi, he added.

Around 3-4 lakh participants are expected to attend the Salem conference, he said.