Yet another anti-Hindu God stance of the DMK Government has come to the fore. Soon after the resolution seeking revival of the Sethusamudram project was moved in the State Assembly, CPM MLA VP Nagaimaali said, “Lord Ram is not an avatar Purush, but a fictional character” has received flaks from Hindus. A couple of days back, RJD Bihar MLA said that Ramcharitmanas is spreading hatred in the society, which is being condemned by all.
Two days after an uproar by DMK allies by indulged in sloganeering, passing a resolution while the Governor was sitting on the Speaker’s chair condemning his skipping some portions and adopting the Tamil version read out by the Speaker, the Governor walking out of the house when he found the Speaker and Chief Minister Stalin gave conventions a go.
City walls were spruced with a poster saying “Get out Ravi” by DMK and its allies, statements of all sundries condemning the Governor for showing disrepute in the conventions of the house, social media postings in bad taste, orchestrated Twitter trending and so on.
In the State Assembly on January 11, the Speaker, M Appavu, instead of initiating action against the MLAs who stormed into the well and indulged in slogan shouting, causing hindrance to the Governor’s address, ruled that no action would be taken. He said though he understood the sentiments of Congress and other alliance partners of the ruling party who assembled in front of the Governor and raised slogans, it should have been avoided. Speaker Appavu said, “I rule that such incidents should be avoided in future, in the interest of the decorum of the House. I limit my ruling because there was no untoward incident during the Governor’s address”.
Knowing that it can’t be feasible and only to fool people, to divert attention from the Governor issue and its all-round failures, DMK Government moved this resolution in the Tamil Nadu Assembly on January 12, 2023, and was unanimously adopted. It urged “The Union Government to immediately come forward to implement the Sethusamudram project without further delay and promised all cooperation for its implementation by the State Government”.
Chief Minister MK Stalin, who moved the resolution, said, “The Sethusamudram project is essential to strengthening the economic development of Tamil Nadu and India. This august house believes that the attempt to delay the project by certain forces further is against the interest of our national growth”.
The Chief Minister said Rs 427 crores were allotted in 2004 by the UPA Government, in which the DMK was an ally. “When 50 per cent of the work was over, the BJP created hurdles for it because of political reasons. The late Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, who supported it in the beginning, also changed her stand and filed a case in court,” he said.
Stalin said if no hurdles had been created, the project would have been completed and offered many benefits. “It would have lifted the economy of Tamil Nadu, particularly the Southern districts, and ensured employment opportunities,” he said.
Recalling Union Minister Jitender Singh’s speech in the Rajya Sabha, “It would be difficult to say about the type of structure seen in the Rameswaram coast”, the Chief Minister said that given the current stand of the Union Government, it was the concern of the house that the continued delay would be a stumbling block for the development and growth of Tamil Nadu. He accused the BJP of attempts to sink the project. CPM MLA Nagai Maali accused NDA of trying to shelve the project using Lord Ram as an excuse.
Certain persons create confusion by attempting to make people believe mythological tales and fiction. He said some are claiming as history what is ‘fiction, imaginations and beliefs’ and are trying so that people would believe it. Fiction, imagination and beliefs cannot become history. Ramayana was a classical literary work replete with Tamil poet Kambar’s poetic skills. However, this is an epic based on imagination”. CPI MLA K Marimuthu said, “When the project was taken up for implementation, those seeking political mileage in the name of ‘epic hero Ramar’ (Lord Ram) and those affected by superstition caused an obstruction.”
BJP MLA and floor leader Nayinar Nagendharan said, “We worship Ramar (Lord Ram). There should not be any damage to Ramar Bridge as Lord Ram had set foot in it. We support this resolution. The Union Government has already shared details of where and how the Sethusamudram project could be implemented in Parliament. We never said the project cannot be implemented. I would be happy if the Sethusamudram project is implemented as I belong to the south of Tamil Nadu.”
The AIADMK MLA Pollachi Jayaraman said, “It pains us as the Assembly resolution mentions Ramar as a fictional character. There are as many as 100 crore devout followers of Lord Ram. We request that this reference be expunged from the draft statement of the resolution. Ramar is Avathara Purushar. The remarks of them hurt devotees of Lord Ram.” Nainar Nagendran also wanted the remarks should be expunged because Rama was worshipped as God.
CM Stalin said, “no one had criticised God and people’s faith. They only pointed out that faith was used to prevent the implementation of the project”.
Senior journalist Senkottai Sriram said, “When mammoth Ram mandir is coming up in Ayodhya in his Janmabhoomi, which is expected to be inaugurated in January next year, the Dravidian Stock Government has called him as a fictional character. Can it call the gods of other religion in the same way? DMK Government has been facing innumerable challenges from BJP chief Annamalai and Governor Ravi. While it failed to take on Annamalai ideologically and effectively who comes out facts to disprove its claims and exposing its corrupt deeds one after another, the Governor has been debunking DMK’s false narratives regularly at all platforms. In today’s resolution has to be viewed in this way”.
While taking part in 176th Saint and music composer Thyagarajar Aradhanai in Thiruvaiyaru on January 11, Governor Ravi said Tamizhagam (not Tamil Nadu) has contributed to the spread of ‘Sanatana Dharma’ and culture to the whole of Bharat, helping it to unite as ‘one family’. Bharat is a unique country which any ruler does not build. Great saints, sages, and divine poets had built it, with the ‘Sanatana Dharma’ as its base. This gave rise to the Sana tana culture, which does not exclude anyone or anything but includes everyone”.
The Governor said, “people in every corner of the Bharat are connected by their devotion to Lord Ram. Thiruvaiyaru, the land on which Saint Thyagaraja wandered to create a link with divinity through music, deserved to be promoted as a revered holy water site.
Saint Thyagarajar was a great devotee of Lord Shri Ram. Through bhakti songs, he spread ‘Sanatana dharma’, which built this nation. He wanted a Temple for Ram to be constructed at Thiruvaiyaru”.
In a tit-for-tat and to divert attention, Sri Ram says, the DMK Government brought this resolution on Sethusamudram, knowing well that it would face hurdles and not be feasible. He recalled that former CM and Stain’s father Karunanidhi had questioned which University Lord Ram did his engineering to build the Ram Setu” when there was opposition to the project.
Meanwhile, while interacting with civil service aspirants, Ravi said to a query, “When there is a difference of opinion between the native State (of the aspirants) and the Union Government, one should take the side of the Centre because the Union Public Service Commission is recruiting them if it is a matter of policy decision. And there are differences; there should be no confusion. You should stand by the Union Government.
Replying to another query, he said, “India is a union of States. I use the term Union Government. However, its equivalent term, ‘Ondriyam,’ is the issue here. Ondriyam is a lower-level social structure. Unwanted efforts to belittle the Union Government and wantonly disrespect it by using the same terminology (Ondriyam), he said, alluding to the ruling party and its allies’ usage of the terminology. He also dissuaded the young civil aspirants from having a critical mindset against the Government.
Journalist Praveen said, “the Governor might have sensed with his police mind that objecting to the word Tamizhagam and the use of term ‘Ondriyam’ only to give fillip and embolden its separate State demand. With this in mind, the DMK and allies now clamour for the use of the term Tamil Nadu (a separate nation). The Governor has succeeded in DMK and its allies saying Tamil Nadu instead of Periyar soil, Dravidian model Government etc.”.
Hindu Munnani, in a statement, condemned the resolution saying Lord Ram is a fictional hero. It said, “the DMK Government wants to befool and hoodwink the people by taking up the Sethu Samudra project. It knows it can’t be implemented, not viable financially and practically. It supports this project right from the beginning only to make crores of rupees out of this. Karunanidhi said there is no Ramayana, and there is no Ram, all fiction. Stalin has proved he is his son. Over 130 core people in Bharat have an unshakable faith in Lord Ram.
The resolution is passed with an ulterior motive and in continuation of its anti-Hindu assault. Mahatma Gandhi was crooning Ram Ram till his last breath. The Apex Court has said why Ram Setu should not be declared a historical heritage site which the DMK Government should keep in mind. If any attempt to revive the project, Hindu Munnani would launch protests on a grand scale”.
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