AIADMK dubs Stalin's temple visit as 'drama'

Chennai, Oct 12: Citing his party's criticism of Hindu Gods and traditions, ruling AIADMK on Monday dubbed DMK leader M K Stalin's recent temple visit as a "drama" and said members of the majority community, Muslims and Christians will unite to give a "fitting reply" to him in the upcoming polls.

An article in AIADMK mouthpiece 'Dr Namathu MGR', without naming DMK chief M Karunanidhi, referred to his remarks at the height of the Rama Setu controversy questioning if Lord Rama was an "engineer".

Karunanidhi had asked from which engineering college had Lord Rama graduated when Hindu groups had objected to the Centre's plan of dredging Rama Setu claiming that it was built by the Hindu god to cross over to Sri Lanka.

The mouthpiece also recalled how DMK had ridiculed Hindu traditions such as sporting vermilion, besides "tacitly supporting" Dravidar Kazhagam's "thaali (mangal sutra) removal" programme in April that had stoked a controversy.

"While (DMK) takes so much pleasure in always ridiculing Hindus, it now resorts to statements saying it is a party of Hindus," it said referring to Stalin's recent reported remarks in this regard and said this was aimed at electoral prospects. "But people are aware of all this drama.

Not only Hindus, but Christians and Muslims, all of whom have been fooled by DMK for long, will unite to transcend religion and give a fitting reply" to Stalin and DMK in the Assembly polls due in 2016, it said.

The article also criticised Stalin, a self-confessed atheist, saying though he had greeted people for Vinayaka Chathurthi last year on social media, his party had later clarified that he did not do it but someone maintaining his account had done so.

Stalin, whose party was founded by the Dravidian veteran C N Annadurai who had argued that Hinduism was not the religion of Tamils, had recently visited Tirukoshtitur temple to know about Vaishnavite guru Ramanujar, while his father and party chief Karunanidhi is penning a TV serial on the sage.

PTI