DMK slams Madurai Aadheenam, BJP hits back at ruling party

CHENNAI: The ruling DMK on Sunday slammed the head of a Shaivite mutt for his ‘hate’ remarks and said he was trying to ‘frighten’ the government and the party by harping on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The BJP condemned the remarks against the pontiff and said it was an ‘intimidation.’

Demanding that the Madurai Aadheenam immediately halt his ‘communal’ speeches as it would stoke violence and affect law and order, the DMK mouthpiece, ‘Murasoli’, in its Sunday edition, dubbed him as a ‘zero’ in terms of his popularity and influence.

Sri la Sri Harihara Sri Gnanasambanda Desika Swami is the 293rd pontiff of Madurai Aadheenam, which is located near the Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple in Madurai.

The pontiff had recently criticised politically influential people who have not paid their dues for possessing the land owned by the mutt. Also, he had reportedly hit out at the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department while taking part in a Vishwa Hindu Parishad organised function. At that event, the Madurai Aadheenam also had reportedly targeted actor Vijay for “insulting a Hindu deity”.

Days ago, state BJP president K Annamalai, expressing full support to the pontiff, had recalled the meeting the pontiff had with Modi here.

The ruling party’s daily said the law would take its own course if anybody sought to breach public peace or if they involved themselves in criminal offences. The ruling party’s Tamil newspaper also said it would like to cite a remark of Tamil Nadu BJP leader H Raja. Murasoli quoted Raja as saying, “Stalin is more dangerous than Karunanidhi. In this Raja’s post, several meanings are embedded. Harihara Desikar should realise it.”

The daily recalled that the government had last month withdrawn its ban on ‘Pattinapravesam’ event of Dharmapuram Aadheenam and that Aadheenams in the state welcomed the government’s ‘cordial decision’ to cancel the ban. Initially, it was banned only to avoid law and order issues as some outfits had opposed it on grounds that the event infringed human dignity, it said. When this was the case, Madurai pontiff is involved in attempts that would bring disrepute to the reputed monastic institution that he led, the DMK said. It may be recalled that the Madurai pontiff was the first to oppose the ban on the Pattinapravesam event and had said that he would even risk his life to conduct it.

BJP spokesperson Narayanan Tirupathi, in his reaction, said the Murasoli write-up is an open and cowardly ‘intimidation’ against a ‘Sadhu’ and condemned it. The DMK is appalled as the pontiff had openly said that those belonging to the ruling party are trying to take over the properties owned by the Aadheenam.

He listed hate speeches made in Tamil Nadu against the Hindu Gods by some fringe groups and said no action was taken by the government against them. The saffron party leader said his party would not be a mute spectator. “The DMK should understand that the law will take its own course,” he said in a statement.

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