CM Stalin urged to fulfil MK’s dream of posting priests of all castes

A decade later, as his son MK Stalin has taken over as the Chief Minster, non-Brahmin priests want Stalin to fulfil the dreams of Karunanidhi and appoint non-Brahmin priests in all the temples coming under Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department (HR&CE).

“We are waiting for 15 years for getting posted as priests in temples. We are certified and qualified. CM Stalin is making dreams of people coming true and hope he will consider our demands and will pass the order of appointment for us in temples across Tamil Nadu,” V Ranganathan, president, Tamil Nadu Government Trained Priests Association, told DT Next.

When Karunanidhi took charge as Chief Minister in 1971 the HR & CE Department was created in which he cancelled then existing method of appointing priests based on lineage. In 2006, when he became the Chief Minister he issued a GO to enable people of all castes become priests and even commenced a training programme.

After a long battle, only two were appointed as priests by AIADMK government, after 2015 Supreme Court order. Five more trained priests out of 207 passed away in the period of 15 years due to various reasons, including COVID-19 and only 200 are remaining.

Since making persons of all castes as priests in temples is the dream of Karunanidhi it was included in the DMK’s election manifesto, Ranganathan said that the trained priests are eagerly awaiting the order from Stalin.

S Vanchinathan, the advocate who fought for the rights of the trained non-Brahmin priests, said that there was discrimination in appointment of non-Brahmin priests in all major temples despite all legal hurdles were cleared.

DMK Rajya Sabha MP RS Bharathi said that COVID-19 is the primary issue for Chief Minister Stalin, at present, and once it is contained, all the demands and promises of the DMK will be fulfilled.