TN govt has denied nod to hold Ram temple related events, public screening, claims BJP

CHENNAI: The BJP on Sunday alleged the Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department and police are denying permission, across the state, to private groups, individuals and party workers to hold events on January 22 to celebrate the consecration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

Police department has refused permission to show the Ayodhya event on Monday, on LED screens in public places, the Saffron party alleged. Tamil Nadu BJP President K Annamalai alleged that a senior state police official has given instructions to police superintendents to prevent 'live streaming' of the temple consecration.

Sharing screenshots on 'X', the he challenged the state government to disprove his statement and dared police to file a case against him. He said he would submit 'conversations' in this regard in the court. Police did not react immediately to the accusations.

The BJP, led by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman alleged Tamil Nadu government administered temples have barred puja for Lord Ram on the day of the consecration of the grand temple in Ayodhya. Dismissing the accusation, Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Minister, P K Sekar Babu said the HR & CE Department has not imposed any kind of ban for conduct of puja for Shri Ram. Also, there is no bar to distribute 'Annadhanam' and 'Prasadam.' He dismissed the claim as false news with ulterior motives.

BJP office-bearer A Ashvathaman contested Sekar Babu's statement and alleged that police have prevented them from going ahead with worshipping on Monday at the Sri Sita Devi temple in the Kalvarayan hills in Kallakurichi district. Sitharaman, in a post on X indicated that public screening of the Ayodhya consecration event is 'banned' in Tamil Nadu. Sekar Babu, however, did not react to the allegation on police stopping public screening and other related events.

Annamalai alleged the Tamil Nadu police has been citing 'frivolous reasons for rejecting request' to telecast the programme live on large LED screens that the BJP and other organisations have arranged for devotees. Annamalai posted on X, 'samples' of letters from police to applicants denying permission for events related to the Ayodhya ceremony.

He alleged that ''a new rule by TN Police for denying permission: Private schools who wish to celebrate the consecration at Ayodhya even within their school premise should seek permission from either the District Collector or the Judiciary.'' ''The DMK Govt should stop using the Police Department as their proxy & stop harassing the devotees of Bhagwan Shri Ram.'' Annamalai alleged the HR & CE has 'denied permissions verbally.' The DMK government has taken its anti-Sanathana Dharma stand to an extreme level by 'imposing a blanket ban' on conducting special pooja and annadhana (distribution of food) in temples during the 'Pran Pratishtha' in Ayodhya.

The state BJP chief alleged that the ministers in the DMK government are 'liars, inefficient, corrupt.' Also, he claimed: ''Below are the screenshots of instructions passed on by ADGP L&O (Additional Director General of Police in charge of law and order) to his SPs instructing to obstruct the celebration of the Pran Pratishtha across TN.

TN has become a draconian state under the DMK Government, and Thiru @mkstalin's actions are synonymous with the actions of the Tyrant Joseph Stalin. I challenge the TN Govt to disapprove (sic) the below screenshots & to file an FIR on me & I will submit the entire sequence of conversations to the court.'' Sitharaman alleged in a post on X: ''TN govt has banned watching live telecast of #AyodhyaRamMandir programmes of 22 Jan'24.

In TN there are over 200 temples for Shri Ram. In HR&CE managed temples no puja/bhajan/prasadam/annadanam in the name of Shri Ram is allowed. Police are stopping privately held temples also from organising events. They are threatening organisers that they will rip off pandals. Strongly condemn this anti-Hindu, hateful action.'' The Union Minister tagged a Tamil newspaper's report in this regard.

''TN govt is unofficially claiming law and order issues to justify the live telecast ban. False and fake narrative! There was no L & O issues on the day of #Ayodhya verdict (in 2019)....'' she alleged.

Sekar Babu further said: ''A rumour is being disseminated to divert people's attention from the DMK's youth wing conference, underway now at Salem''.

Further, he dubbed the reportage in the Tamil daily referred by Sitharaman as completely false, which had ulterior motives. He said it was regrettable that Sitharaman, who holds a high office, was circulating such fake news. The state government has said it would take legal action against the Tamil daily for its 'false' report.