In a startling decision, the DMK-led government in Tamil Nadu, under the leadership of Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, has announced plans to host the World Muthamizh Murugan Conference at the revered Palani Murugan Temple in Dindigul district. The conference, scheduled for June or July 2024, aims to bring together “devotees of Lord Murugan” from across the globe.
The announcement was made by DMK Hindu Religious Charities Minister P.K. Sekar Babu during a press briefing in Chennai. Speaking to reporters, he said, “To bring together all the Murugan devotees from across the world for Tamil God Murugan, we will hold a World Murugan Conference in Palani. We are a government that says what it does and does what it says.”
The two-day conference will witness the participation of trustees from Murugan temples worldwide, highlighting the global reverence for Lord Murugan, known as the Tamil God. Discussions, seminars, and lectures on various aspects of Murugan worship and mythology are being planned.
Chief Minister M.K. Stalin is slated to inaugurate the conference, with further details regarding the event’s date to be announced soon. The announcement comes on the heels of the formation of the Hindu Religious Charities Advisory Board, aimed at facilitating the implementation of key initiatives for temple workers’ welfare.
"ஜூன் அல்லது ஜூலையில் உலக முருகன் மாநாடு"
ஜூன் அல்லது ஜூலையில் அனைத்துலக முருகன் மாநாடு நடத்தப்படும்
சென்னை, நுங்கம்பாக்கத்தில் அமைச்சர் சேகர்பாபு தகவல்
தமிழ் கடவுள் முருகரை வழிபடும் பக்தர்களை ஒன்றிணைக்க மாநாடு
முருக பக்தர்கள் மாநாட்டை 2 நாட்கள் நடத்த உயர்மட்ட குழு ஆலோசனையில்… pic.twitter.com/puf9y8Eddz
— Thanthi TV (@ThanthiTV) March 12, 2024
Critics argue that this can be seen as a way to drive a wedge among Hindus by classifying them as Murugan devotees and those who are not and thus furthering the “North-South divide” narrative.
Dravidian Stockist and alleged ‘spiritual discourser’ Suki Sivam including DMK members have said that Muruga and Subrahmanya are distinct, perpetuating a recycled narrative of Aryan and Dravidian divisions.
Ironically, Dravidian Stockists and “Periyar”ists named “Karuppar Koottam” with ties to the DMK had earlier abused Lord Murugan and the revered hymn Kandha Sashti Kavasam.
It is noteworthy that the same DMK minister Sekar Babu had participated in the Eradicate Sanatana Dharma conference in September 2023 where Udhayanidhi Stalin made those controversial remarks. His words at the press briefing that the DMK government under MK Stalin “says what it does and does what it says” seem to indicate this – deepen the narrative of the Aryans and Dravidians by calling Lord Muruga a Tamizh Kadavul (Tamizh God) and by inviting people who are specifically “Murugan devotees”.
Critics wonder if this is one of their ways to deHinduize Lord Murugan and thus work towards Udhayanidhi Stalin’s statements.
Subscribe to our channels on Telegram, WhatsApp, and Instagram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.