The DMK government in Tamil Nadu has sought sanction to prosecute BJP Tamil Nadu President K. Annamalai for a speech he made recalling an incident involving DMK founder CN Annadurai and freedom fighter Muthuramalinga Thevar.
Speaking at a BJP meeting in September 2023, Annamalai had said that during a conference held in June 1956 at Madurai’s Meenakshi temple, a child sang a song from the Sangam era for Annadurai to which the DMK founder had apparently commended the child’s singing but added that if her talent had been showcased centuries ago, people might have attributed it to her consumption of holy milk from Goddess Umaiyaval.
Annadurai also expressed the view that it was a positive development that people no longer believed in such stories due to their common sense, as per the allegations made by the Tamil Nadu BJP chief.
According to Annamalai, Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar, a revered leader of the Thevar community and a freedom fighter, opposed Annadurai’s remarks. He said that Muthuramalinga spoke the following day, daring who would speak ill of Goddess Umaiyava in a temple where Sivapuranam was composed.
Thevar allegedly went on to state that if anyone who didn’t believe in God criticized those who did, it could lead to dire consequences, metaphorically referring to “blood abhishekam” for Meenakshi Amman instead of the traditional “milk abhishekam.” Annamalai alleged that Annadurai was kept in hiding in Madurai and only managed to escape after issuing an apology.
Thevar allegedly went on to state that if anyone who didn’t believe in God criticized those who did, it could lead to dire consequences, metaphorically referring to “blood abhishekam” for Meenakshi Amman instead of the traditional “milk abhishekam.” Annamalai alleged that Annadurai was kept in hiding in Madurai and only managed to escape after issuing an apology.
Documented evidence testify that the said incident happened. The Hindu edition dated 3 June 1956 also carried an article on the same event. However, the report just mentions that Thevar took exception to Annadurai’s speech and that there was no reference to any apology. The New Indian Express report quoting its archives mention that Thevar’s “blood had boiled” over Annadurai’s remarks.
The book titled “Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar – Or Aaivu Kannottam,” published by the Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar Research Centre details about the incident mentioned by Annamalai.
Former AIADMK MLA Thiruchy Soundararajan, who had close ties with Annadurai, also attested to Thevar’s strong condemnation of Annadurai’s speech at the Madurai event.
However, it’s important to note that there is no newspaper report corroborating Thevar’s statement about conducting an abhishekam with human blood.
For this political speech of Annamalai made in September 2023, the DMK government has sought sanction to prosecute based on a complaint by V. Piyush, an alleged ‘activist’ and a Dravidianist for ‘hate speech’.
In its order, K. Nanathakumar the Secretary to the Government says that Annamalai spoke with an intention to promote disharmony and enmity between groups and considers it as punishable offence.
Reacting to this Annamalai said that the DMK government is going against someone for recalling a past event while awarding plum positions in the party to drug kingpins, hinting at former DMK’s NRI wing functionary and druglord Jaffer Sadiq.
He said, “In the last 3 years, the draconian DMK Govt has filed plenty of cases against me & our BJP Karyakarthas for speaking the truth & has recently issued a sanction to prosecute me yet again. Issue sanctions to prosecute for recalling an event in the past & awarding plum party positions to Drug peddlers reflects the true nature of this DMK Govt in TN. I wholeheartedly thank the DMK Govt for allowing us to recall what Deivathirumaganar Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar said in 1956, which they wish to erase from people’s memories.”
He further added “Our message to the DMK Govt: You can’t stop us from exposing what is what. File as many cases as you want!”
In the last 3 years, the draconian DMK Govt has filed plenty of cases against me & our BJP Karyakarthas for speaking the truth & has recently issued a sanction to prosecute me yet again.
Issue sanctions to prosecute for recalling an event in the past & awarding plum party… pic.twitter.com/jfuDHXSdXH
— K.Annamalai (மோடியின் குடும்பம்) (@annamalai_k) May 12, 2024
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