New Delhi: Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader and Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on January 18 (Thursday) said the party is not in agreement with the temple that was constructed after demolishing a mosque.He said his grandfather, M.K. Karunanidhi, had said the DMK wasn’t against any particular religion or faith.“We don’t have a problem with a temple coming up there. We are not in agreement with the construction of a temple after demolishing a mosque,” the DMK Youth Wing chief said, referring to the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992, PTI reported.Udhayanidhi, the son of Tamil Nadu chief minister M.K. Stalin, said that religion shouldn’t be mixed with politics, Hindustan Times reported.“Our Treasurer (T.R. Baalu) has already said that spiritualism and politics should not be mixed,” he said.In September 2023, his comments on the need to eradicate sanatan dharma were criticised by the Bharatiya Janata Party. He had said there is a need to challenge superstitions and continue the fight for social justice.“We have a need to challenge superstitions, blind beliefs and remain committed to social justice. Like the change we saw in Tamil Nadu 2021, we have to see a change of power in Delhi in 2024,” he had said.However, despite criticism, he stood by his comments.The Ram Lalla ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony in Ayodhya will be held on January 22.Several opposition parties, including Congress, CPI(M) and Trinamool Congress (TMC), have turned down the invitation to the event, saying it is being used for electoral gain.TMC chief and West Bengal chief minster will lead a rally on January 22, covering mosques, temples, churches, and gurdwaras along the way.The top spiritual leaders in Sanatan Hindu Dharma, Jagatguru Shankaracharyas, also won’t be part of the ceremony to inaugurate the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. They have raised concerns over Prime Minister Narendra Modi being the “chief host” in the programme.They feel that this places him at the forefront of the event, potentially undermining the traditional rituals dictated by the Sanatan Shastras.
