Tamilisai criticises DMK MP Balu over remarks 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony

CHENNAI: Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan questioned DMK MP TR Balu's statement on Monday calling the 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya a political event. She criticised the DMK leaders for declining the invitation to the event and further accused the party of politicising the occasion.

"Who is politicising it? Who is attending it (Pran Pratishtha) or who is not attending it? Why are they not attending? Because they think it is a political festival. Despite the invitation, they are not attending because it is God's festival. It is a long dream for every person," Governor Tamilisai said while speaking to ANI. "Our Prime Minister, as I cited, all Tamil kings and emperors built temples, even if the temple was built by priests, it is the king who celebrated it." "They put forward the festival first. 'Kumbhabhishekam' was initiated by them. When the Tamil culture has been like that, then how can they object Prime Minister attending the programme? It is the politicisation by them," she said.

Earlier in the day, expressing his views on the 'Pran Pratishtha', DMK MP TR Balu asserted that it is not a spiritual but a political event. He accused the BJP of using the construction of the temple to divert attention from their unfulfilled promises since coming into power in 2014. "Ayodhya Ram Temple 'Pran Pratishtha' is not related to a spiritual event. It is a political event. BJP since they formed a government in 2014 they haven't fulfilled their promises. To hide their failures and to divert the people, they are showing the construction of Rama Temple as their achievement," MP Balu said.

Balu emphasized DMK's stance on secularism and distancing itself from the politicization of spiritual events. "DMK has strong faith in the Indian Constitution which speaks about secularism. DMK never mixes politics with spiritualism to reap benefits from that. Using devotion to political reasons and for vote bank is against India's sovereignty and constitution," the DMK MP added. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will preside over the ceremonial installation of Shri Ram Lalla inside the sanctum sanctorum of the temple on January 22. Earlier, on Friday, PM Modi announced a special 11-day 'anushthan' (ritual) ahead of the Pran Pratishtha ceremony at Ayodhya's Ram Temple.