Facing INDIA bloc partners’ ire, DMK minister says row over courses on Lord Murugan in schools, colleges resolved
The allies, including CPM and VCK, had expressed resentment over introducing Lord Murugan courses in education institutions
Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Minister PK Sekarbabu
CHENNAI: Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Minister PK Sekarbabu on Tuesday said they were contemplating introducing religion related training classes for interested students of the department run colleges.
The HR&CE Department has been running four arts and science colleges. As per the Court order, the Saiva Siddhanta courses were included in these colleges. Now, they were planning to offer religion related training programmes as per the resolutions proposed by the conclave of the Global Muthamizh Murugan Conference, said the Minister while addressing reporters. (When DT Next reached the Minister for clarification regarding this, he refused to talk.)
Responding to sharp criticism from state CPM general secretary K Balakrishnan and VCK general secretary D Ravikumar over the resolutions passed in the recent conference, regarding introducing religious related courses in the department-run education institutions, the Minister said, “I have contacted them over the phone and explained regarding the resolutions passed in the conference to both the leaders.” He continued that the issue has settled down.
Rebuking BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan for her remark that the DMK invoke spirituality for their political gain and it exposed their double standards, the Minister said that the present dispensation never mixes spirituality and governance. It would not compromise on its ideology either. He further said that what happened to the BJP’s Vel Yatra in the name of Lord Murugan ahead of the Assembly polls in 2021 for their political mileage, but the people rejected them. “Our CM treats Hindus and minorities equally. Whenever he receives invitations from minorities for their conferences and festivals of minorities, he participates in them. Similarly, he attended the Global Muthamizh Murugan conference,” said the Minister and noted that the CM would continue his stand of “everything is for everyone.”