News Tamil Nadu

State Mourning For Pastor Who Abused Hindus & PM Modi, Hindu Munnani Condemns DMK Govt Decision

September 27, 2024
The Commune

The Hindu Munnani has slammed the Tamil Nadu government for granting state honours to pastor Ezra Sargunam, the founder of the Evangelical Church of India, following his burial with police honours on September 26, 2024. The organization condemned the move, citing Sargunam’s history of inflammatory anti-Hindu speeches and accusing the DMK government of lowering the dignity of the police to secure minority votes. Despite the controversy, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin had praised Sargunam for his contributions to society and paid respects at the ‘Jesus Calls’ prayer tower earlier that day.

Ezra Sargunam was laid to rest on Thursday, 26 September 2024, with police honors at the cemetery in Kilpauk Garden, following his passing on 22 September 2024. CM Stalin announced that Sargunam would receive a dignified burial, reflecting the state’s “respect for individuals who have contributed to society“. Earlier that day, Stalin paid his respects to Sargunam at the ‘Jesus Calls’ prayer tower in Chennai, acknowledging his lifetime “dedication” to the welfare of downtrodden communities and his role in founding over 10,000 churches.

However, the DMK government’s decision to honour pastor Sargunam sparked controversy and backlash from the Hindu Munnani organization. They criticized the state for granting a state funeral to Sargunam, as he had promoted only Christianity and had made inflammatory remarks against other religions.

Hindu Munnani leaders condemned the government’s actions, asserting that it compromised the dignity of the police force for the sake of minority votes. They wrote, “Where is the path of the Dravidian model going? State honours for Ezra Sargunam! Former Chairman of the Minority Welfare Commission, Pastor Ezra Sargunam, was laid to rest with police honors. It is customary for the government to pay respectable tributes to those who have contributed to the society and worked for the welfare of the people. But Ezra Sarkunam spoke only in favor of his own Christianity. Apart from that, Christianity is the most numerous religions in the world. He spoke violently saying that we are proselytizing and if anyone asks questions, we will punch them in the nose. He slandered even the Prime Minister of India, Modiji. This is the person who used incite to create division in the society and cause religious riots. It is an unacceptable act for a government that proclaims social justice to give a dignified funeral to someone like him. Hindu Munnani strongly condemns the DMK government for lowering the dignity of the police for the minority vote of people like him!”

Ezra Sargunam, a Christian evangelist and bishop with solid ties to the DMK, is widely recognized for his controversial speeches against Hindus. Here is a quick look at his anti-Hindu speeches from the past.

In 2018, Ezra Sargunam urged the SDPI, a radical Islamic organization, to take aggressive action against Hindus who were challenging them, particularly following the murder of PMK member Ramalingam, who had opposed Islamic conversions. He also pledged his support to Vaiko, Thirumavalavan, and M.K. Stalin if they pursued this course of action.

He claimed that the Hindu religion did not exist and provoked Christians to punch Hindus in the face and make them bleed if they refused to acknowledge the ‘truth‘.

At another event in the presence of members from the DMK, Ezra Sargunam derided Prime Minister Modi. He said “Whatever we are speaking here, it should echo in Delhi. It should fall in the ears of Modi. He is not going to change his mind anyway. He is a man who has come to loot the country and is doing his job correctly. His duty is to support the four rich men. He doesn’t care about the poor. But he will keep saying ‘I was born poor, I sold tea, I am living my life for the poor’. But friends, he keeps doing exactly the opposite.”.

He further said “Anybody with an iota of fear for God will not go against his conscience. That fellow, though he keeps talking about God is not God fearing! Neither does he fear people. Only if a man had lived with his wife at least for 5 days would he know the difficulties of everyday life.”

Asking others on the stage to not mistake him, Ezra Sargunam also said, “Can’t you live with your wife after marriage even for a week?! What merits do you have to rule this country? This fake man… We will be facing difficulties like these until this Modi is removed. He doesn’t know any difficulties. Only if he had raised children would he know the difficulties! We don’t even know with whom he lived! We are now stuck with him. Let us all pray to destroy him.”

These remarks were made in the presence of DMK leader M.K. Stalin and other opposition figures.

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