As the entire nation eagerly anticipates the consecration of the grand Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya on 22 January 2024, a report from the Tamil news daily Dinamalar has left devotees dismayed. According to the report, 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).
In the above letter, BJP functionary Mari Duraisamy and one Revathi Selvakrishnan had asked permission from the local police for special poojas and bhajan programmes to be held at the Then Thirupperai Perumal Temple.
The police denied permission saying three reasons:
- permission (from police) should’ve been sought 15 days before
- since temple is ‘owned’ by HR&CE department, permission letter from them should’ve also been taken which was not done
- since there is a law & order issue in Srivaikuntam region, Section 30(2) of CrPC is in effect
The police have stated that strict action would be taken against those who violate and hold the events at the temple.
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, BJP Tamil Nadu head K. Annamalai released proofs of police denying permission at several places for special poojas and events at the temples.
For instance, the Sri Maha Periyava Anusha Natshatra Baktha Sabha (SMPANB) had written a letter to the Executive Officer of the HR&CE Department in Vellore seeking permission to conduct bhajans at the Sri Godhandaramar Temple in Rangapuram. The event was scheduled to place on 22 January 2024 from 7 AM to 1 PM aligning with the time of the consecration at Ayodhya. The event had been organized with the blessings and guidance of Sri Vijayendra Saraswathi Swamigal of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam. The SMPANB had sought the HR&CE Department in the letter.
However, the officials of the HR&CE department had allegedly communicated verbally to ‘reconsider the event’ due to ‘unforeseen circumstances’.
In a letter to Malaivasan, the Executive Officer of HR&CE department in Vellore, the SMPANB commuincated saying “As per our recent conversation, you verbally communicated the need to reconsider the event due to unforeseen circumstances. We would like to formally inform you that the Bhajans event stands canceled and no activities associated with this event will take place on the mentioned date. In the event that any unauthorized gathering or function occurs t Sri Godhandaramar Temple in Rangapuram on 22 January 2024, using our name of organization, I want to explicitly state that we disclaim any responsibility for such activities. We have taken all necessary measures to communicate the cancellation, and any such activities are not endorsed or organized by us.”
In another incident, Murali Reddiyar, the Principal of Sriram High School in Omandur was served a notice by the Kiliyanur Police Station regarding a special programme arranged at the school in which 2000 members of the public were to participate for the Ram Janmabhoomi Pran Pratishta ceremony.
“It looks like you’re about to celebrate the consecration of Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya by inviting 2000 members of the public at the school located in Omandur village in which you work as principal, which falls under the Kiliyanur Police Station limits. In our investigation, we found that you have not obtained the required permission from the District Collector or an appropriate court. Hence you should be informed through this notice that the Kiliyanur Police has denied permission to hold the event. If the event happens in violation and any untoward events happen, we inform you that you will be held responsible.“, the notice reads.
In Kanyakumari, a BJP functionary had sought permission from police to publicize about the Ram Janmabhoomi temple consecration through loudspeaker attached vehicles on 20 and 21 January 2024 which was also denied on the grounds that there was lack of information about the places in which it will be carried out. Another reason mentioned was that the region had a large number of Muslim and Christian population and hence could lead to communal violence. It further stated that the Mandaikadu region has a high population of Christians and till date there is issue between the Hindus and Christians in that region.
The DMK government in TN has taken their Anti-Sanathana Dharma stand to an extreme level by imposing a blanket ban on conducting special pooja and Annadhana in Temples during Pran Prathikshtha in Ayodhya.
The HR&CE department has denied permissions verbally & the TN Police… pic.twitter.com/fn2HXXgYJe
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) January 21, 2024
These instances where highlighted by Tamil Nadu BJP President K. Annamalai in an X post slamming the DMK government for hoodwinking the public.
“The DMK government in TN has taken their Anti-Sanathana Dharma stand to an extreme level by imposing a blanket ban on conducting special pooja and Annadhana in Temples during Pran Prathikshtha in Ayodhya. The HR&CE department has denied permissions verbally & the TN Police department has been citing frivolous reasons for rejecting the request to telecast the programme live on a large LED screen that @BJP4TamilNadu & other organisations have arranged for the benefit of the devotees. Tamil Nadu, a place of historical significance during Ramayana, has now been shadowed by shallow-minded administrators of the state. The HR&CE Minister has now reversed his decision after his misadventure blows back in his face. We wish to inform the HR&CE Minister that the temples in TN are not the property of the Gopalapuram Family to impose regulations to suit your defunct propaganda. Tomorrow, cadres of @BJP4TamilNadu, along with the people of Tamil Nadu, will perform Special poojas and Bhajans in the glory of Bhagwan Shri Ram in all the Temples in TN to celebrate the historic Pran Pratikshtha in Ayodhya.“, Annamalai said in a tweet.
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