An ancient temple dedicated to Sita Devi located in a remote part of Kalvarayan Hills near the Salem-Kallakurichi border has been in ruins with dilapidated walls and vegetation taking over.
BJP Tamil Nadu State Secretary Ashvathaman along with a few BJP cadres and Hindu activists went to clean the temple and refurbish it for worship ahead of the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple consecration on 22 January 2024.
After cleaning the temple, they had decorated it with flowers and torans (leafy paraphernalia).
However, the BJP leader has alleged that the Tamil Nadu police arrived at the scene following his and other Hindu devotees’ efforts to clean the neglected Sita Devi temple. He said that the police had come to the spot and allegedly cleared off the decorations saying that there can’t be any celebrations at the temple.
According to Ashvathaman, the temple is not under the control of Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department.
Taking to social media, the BJP leader slammed the DMK government asking “Is this your dad’s property?”, an apparent jibe at DMK scion Udhayanidhi Stalin who had used the same language against Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman earlier over release of funds for Cyclone Michaung.
“Who are you to prevent the right of Hindus to worship when the Constitution has guaranteed it as a fundamental right!? The Tamil Nadu government is similarly banning the worship of Lord Rama throughout Tamil Nadu. But Sekar Babu claims that it is a hoax. If you want to ban, do it openly. Bharti’s lines come to mind when we see this despicable act of DMK, which is blocking Hindus’ right to worship through the back door without even having the courage to announce it.”, Ashvathaman said.
“No matter what, we will worship Sita Devi tomorrow”, he asserted.
இதெல்லாம் ஒரு பொழப்பா சேகர் பாபு !?
கல்வராயன் மலைக்காடுகளில் கேப்பாரற்று சீதிலமடைந்து இருந்த சீதா தேவி கோவிலை
கண்டறிந்து சுத்தம் செய்து, நாளை ஶ்ரீ ராமருக்கு பிரானபிரதிஸ்டை செய்யப்படுகிற நேரத்தில் சீதா தேவியை பூஜை செய்து வணங்குவதற்கு ஏற்பாடுகள் செய்துள்ளோம் .தற்போது… pic.twitter.com/ovBDod0aIX
— A.Ashvathaman (@asuvathaman) January 21, 2024
This article will be updated once there is clarification from the police side.
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