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Don’t agree with building Ram Temple after razing mosque, says Udhayanidhi
The Supreme Court in 2019 ruled in favour of construction of the temple on the disputed site, after nearly three decades since the Babri demolition
The DMK is not against religion but the party did not condone the demolition of Babri Masjid (in 1992) for the Ram Temple to come up in Uttar Pradesh’ Ayodhya, said sports minister and DMK’s youth wing head Udhayanidhi Stalin on Thursday. He added that this was the stand of late M Karunanidhi, his grandfather and five-time chief minister of Tamil Nadu.
“Kalaignar (Karunanidhi) had said we are not against any faith,” Udhayanidhi told reporters. “We don’t have a problem with a temple coming up there. But, we are not in agreement with the construction of a temple after demolishing a mosque. Our treasurer has also said that religion should not be mixed with politics.”
His statement comes two days after the DMK’s treasurer and parliamentary party leader T R Baalu accused the BJP-led Union government of politicising the inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22 months ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. “People of India will reject the BJP’s blatant attempt to convert a spiritual event into a political one,” Baalu had said on Sunday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several politicians, actors and celebrities have been invited to the event. Opposition parties, such as the Congress, CPI(M) and TMC, have turned down the invitation stating that the BJP is trying to exact political mileage from the religious ceremony. Leaders of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on January 13 had invited Udhayanidhi;s mother and chief minister M K Stalin’s wife, Durga Stalin who is a temple-goer.
On leader of opposition and AIADMK general secretary Edappadi Palaniswami’s (EPS) statement that attending temple’s consecration is a personal choice, Udhayanidhi took a dig at the opposition saying the party had sent kar sevaks to Ayodhya during the Ram Janmabhoomi temple movement.
EPS broke off a four-year alliance with the BJP last September. “If there is an opportunity, I will participate,” EPS had said on January 11 about his attendance for the inauguration. “I’ve some pain in my leg. There is some difficulty. A decision would be taken later.”
The Supreme Court in 2019 ruled in favour of construction of the temple on the disputed site, after nearly three decades since the Babri demolition. The top court had also asked the authorities to provide a separate parcel of land for a grand mosque.
