PTR Palanivel Thiagarajan, the Finance Minister of the DMK government who in an interview to The Hindu called Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev a ‘publicity hound’ and a ‘charlatan’ has now hit back at the publication itself for coming out with Isha’s response.
In his interview to The Hindu which was published on May 14, Palanivel Thiagarajan dismissed the call for relieving Hindu temples from government control and went on to make defamatory statements on Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev.
““Random people make random noise. These are the people who want to break the goodwill of society,” he told The Hindu.
“In the case of Jaggi, he is a publicity hound and charlatan who is trying to find another angle to make more money.” he further added. He had also called Jaggi Vasudev a ‘commercial operator’ pretending to use god and religion to get help.
In response to this disparaging remarks, volunteers of the Isha Foundation had written an open letter to Palanivel Thiagarajan saying that they were appalled at the personal attack made by a person holding such high office.
“It is deeply unfortunate that a person holding high public office should resort to name-calling of a highly respected public figure. This unseemly attack trivialises the efforts and dedication of millions of Isha volunteers worldwide who are working tirelessly in service of humanity.”, the letter read.
The letter further stated that Isha Foundation has worked with various elected governments from across the political spectrum and will continue to do so for the welfare of the people of Tamil Nadu.
“Cooperation and support have been the nature of our relationship with every government. We regret the deterioration of this culture and the poor standard of public discourse. This is certainly unbecoming of an elected representative and an honorable member of the State’s Cabinet.”, the letter noted.
The Hindu Publishing Group’s Chairperson Malini Parthasarathy had shared this response which The Hindu had carried in the form of an article. However, Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Palanivel Thiagarajan resorted to shooting the messenger saying that Malini Parthasarathy needs ‘counselling’ and not destroy The Hindu’s brand.
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