A major controversy has erupted after the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam allegedly erected large screens during a campaign meeting at Thilakar Thidal in Thanjavur to block the view of the Brihadeeshwara Temple from Chief Minister MK Stalin.
The incident took place during an Assembly election campaign rally where Stalin addressed a gathering in support of eight constituency candidates from the district. A large number of party functionaries and cadre had assembled from across Thanjavur for the event.
The Brihadeeshwara Temple, a world-famous and historically significant monument located close to the venue, was covered from the Chief Minister’s line of sight using massive screens erected at the site. The act has triggered sharp reactions and widespread criticism.
The temple seems to have been deliberately hidden from Stalin’s view. The move has caused shock among sections of the public present at the venue and has quickly snowballed into a political controversy.
The incident has also reignited discussions around a long-standing belief that politicians visiting the temple risk losing their position. One wornders that if the screening was done based on such a belief, it contradicts the DMK’s stated opposition to religion and superstition, and this can be called the “height of superstition.”
Social activists have strongly condemned the move, stating that concealing a monument of such cultural and historical importance undermines Thanjavur’s heritage and identity, and amounts to an insult to the people of the district.
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