BJP Tamil Nadu President K. Annamalai has hit on the raw nerve of Dravidianist politics with his recent declaration from the ramparts of Srirangam Temple where he declared that once BJP comes to power in Tamil Nadu, all statues bearing the plaque ‘Those who believe in God are idiots’ will be removed/relocated. He said that the BJP government would instead install statues of Azhwars, Nayanmars, Thiruvalluvar and freedom fighters.
Addressing a massive crowd in Srirangam on 7 November 2023, Annamalai said “Outside this (Ranganathar) temple, once the DMK came to power in 1967, they kept a plaque. What does that plaque say? ‘Those who believe in God are idiots, cheats. Don’t believe in God.’ As if they’ve achieved something big, they’ve installed such a plaque with a flag. We Hindus are people who live peacefully following the path of dharma.”
Adding further, the BJP Tamil Nadu chief said “Today, from this land of Srirangam, the BJP is taking a vow. Once the BJP comes to power in Tamil Nadu, the first task would be to remove that plaque and flagpole outside the temple. Statues of Azhwars and Nayanmars would be installed. Statues of Tamil scholars would be erected. Tamil scholar Thiruvalluvar’s statue will be installed. Those who sacrificed their lives during the freedom movement, their statues would be installed and worshipped. Not the statue which says ‘Those who believe in God are idiots’. As soon as the BJP comes to power, the BJP government would remove all such statues placed outside all temples.”
Following this, Annamalai gave a press meet at the BJP Tamil Nadu headquarters in Chennai in which he further went on to clarify that the statues of EVR should be placed at appropriate places and not outside a temple.
He said “I’m not saying EVR shouldn’t have a statue. EVR’s statue should be kept at a public place as a neutral figure. There are many such statues of different leaders. Some people like certain leaders, some people don’t. With respect to temples, only those leaders who believed in God should be kept. I want Mutuhramalinga Thevar Ayya’s statue to be kept outside Madurai Meenakshi Temple. I want Vaidyanatha Iyer’s statue to be kept outside Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple. Because these people worked with spirituality and dharma during the freedom struggle. EVR’s statue should also be there. Where should it be there? I am telling you the place for that. If I say there must be no EVR statue, your point is valid. I am saying EVR’s statue should be there. But the BJP is saying where his statue should not be there. Look at it this way. The BJP is clear about where EVR statue and his quotes should not be there and is placing it before the people. We trust that the people will accept.”
He further went on to quote what EVR said about Communists, Congress and the DMK.
“If I start quoting EVR selectively.. Communist party. I already mentioned. ‘Communists are those who survive by licking other’s feet. EVR said this. Can I keep this quote outside Communist party office? ‘Congress should be abolished’. EVR said this. Can we keep this outside Congress office? About DMK, EVR said ‘DMK men sell their wives for votes’. Can we keep this outside DMK’s office?“, he asked
Annamalai explains why he is against EVR's statues and his texts in front of temples.
Subtitled for wider reach..
This man is something else… pic.twitter.com/kk5dD0fGbX
— இந்தா வாயின்கோ – Take That (@indhavaainko) November 9, 2023
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