News Tamil Nadu

Vinayagar Idol Makers Worried As DMK Govt Launches Crackdown Ahead Of Vinayagar Chaturthi

September 15, 2023
The Commune

In an infuriating turn of events, the premises where Vinayagar idols are made in Karur in the Sungagate area for the Vinayagar Chathurthi festival have been sealed by the Pollution Control Board (PCB) just days before the festival date, leaving the local Hindu community and idol makers in despair. This development has ignited a fierce debate, with many questioning the timing and motives behind the PCB’s actions and accusing the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government of insensitivity towards Hindu sentiments.

The Vinayagar Chathurthi festival, a significant Hindu celebration, is to be celebrated on 18 September 2023 all over India and in Hindu homes across the world. As part of the tradition, idols of Lord Ganesha (Vinayagar) are placed in homes, public places, and temples to invoke blessings. However, the sealing of a idol production hall housing approximately 400 Vinayagar idols has thrown a shadow over the festivities.

According to reports, the PCB, alongside revenue department officials and police, conducted a surprise raid on the idol-making site following a complaint alleging the use of plaster of Paris (PoP) in contravention of the regulations. Despite the fact that the makers have been creating idols for over a decade using materials such as potato flour and other natural flours that easily dissolve in water, the authorities proceeded to seal the premises.

The lady is seen crying and begging the officials saying, “Sir we have borrowed money for huge interest to make these idols, please let us be…”

Local Hindu organisations, including the Shiv Sena Party and Indhu Makkal Katchi, have raised questions about the timing and validity of the complaint. They said that the PCB sealed the hall without conducting proper chemical tests on the idols and suggested that this might be a deliberate attempt to undermine Hindu traditions. Representatives from Hindu organizations have asserted that they had placed orders for 120 Vinayagar idols, and the sudden sealing of the premises by the PCB just two days before the festival appears to be a deliberate plot aimed at hurting Hindu sentiments.

The artisans, who hail from northern states of India mainly Rajasthan, are facing a bleak future as they have borrowed substantial sums of money for their business and depend on the sale of the idols during the festive season for their livelihoods.

False Allegations On Vinayagar Idol Maker In Tenkasi

In a similar incident in Tenkasi, a Vinayagar idol factory owned by a BJP worker named Murugan was raided a few days ago, and he was accused of using PoP to make idols. Murugan vehemently denied the allegations, breaking one of his idols to prove its biodegradability. Despite this, a false FIR was filed against him. The incident has raised concerns about the treatment of Hindu idol makers in the DMK regime.

The local BJP unit has pledged support to Murugan, who has been making Ganesh /Vinayagar idols for his living for the past two decades, using materials like potato flour, tapioca flour, and sago flour, all of which are biodegradable.

These actions come at a time when the Chief Minister’s son and other members of the ruling DMK are spitting vitriol about Sanathana Dharma on public platforms and comparing it with diseases like malaria, dengue, corona, and even HIV AIDS, and leprosy. The Hindu community’s sentiments have been continuously and callously wounded by the ruling regime, particularly since their ascent to power in 2021.

(With inputs from Tamil Samayam)

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