BJP Tamil Nadu President K. Annamalai has released an audio of a conversation between a Hindu devotee and the Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department Executive Officer of the Poonamalle Perumal Temple in which the latter confesses that there is a verbal order to prohibit celebrations marking the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple consecration ceremony.
Earlier news reports surfaced that the DMK government in Tamil Nadu allegedly issued unofficial verbal orders to prohibit Annadanam (free food) and other special poojas in temples marking the ceremony.
The issue also came to spotlight when devotees in Then Thiruperai were denied police permission to hold bhajans and special poojas at the Perumal temple. It is pertinent to note that Then Thiruperai is considered one of the ‘Nava Thirupathi’ and is located in Thoothukudi (DMK MP Kanimozhi’s constituency).
After Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman slammed the DMK government, the Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Minister P. Sekarbabu called it ‘rumours’ and an attempt to deflect people’s attention from Udhayanidhi Stalin’s DMK Youth Wing conference. The DMK Minister said that no such orders have been given by the government.
However, in the alleged audio released by BJP Tamil Nadu President K. Annamalai, a devotee who had organized a special pooja for the occasion can be heard confronting the HR&CE official for banning the pooja without any written order from the government.
“Yes madam, special pooja is not allowed madam.“, the officer can be heard saying.
When the devotee asks whether any Government Order (GO) has been passed, the HR&CE official confesses that “Not a GO but we have got oral instruction.”
When the devotee replies saying “we shouldn’t consider oral instructions right?“, the HR&CE official says “We would be facing problems if we allowed the pooja right?”
Exposing this audio in his social media post, BJP Tamil Nadu leader Annamalai said that the DMK HR&CE Miniter has a lot to answer.
Listen to the full audio here.
Conversation between an HR&CE Executive officer & a Devotee of Bhagwan Shri Ram.
The HR&CE EO mentions explicitly that they have received oral instructions not to allow any activity inside the Temple premises concerning Pran Pratishtha.
DMK HR&CE Minister has a lot to answer. pic.twitter.com/PzqTd1kKgf
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) January 21, 2024
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