Coimbatore

More than 150 BJP workers, led by the party’s Salem district president RP Gopinath, took out a rally carrying garlanded portraits of Ram and Sita. However, as the rally was held defying police permission, around 62 persons courted arrest.

Gopinath said that the rally was organised to wipe away the 50 years of disrespect befallen on Lord Ram and Sita exactly on this day in 1971 during a rally by Periyar.

At an anti-superstition rally by Periyar and his followers, Sri Ramachandra Moorthy (Ram) and Sita idols were taken naked and by wearing a garland of slippers, claimed actor Rajinikanth. However, the rationalists strongly contested his claim.

The BJP workers commenced the rally by singing bhajans at Srinivasa Park in Sevvapet, from where the Dravidar Kazhagam took out its anti-superstition rally. Earlier, the portraits of the God were showered with flowers, garlanded and pujas were performed.

“Then (during 1971 rally) we shouted slogans in protest, but now in victory. Our rally will be the foundation for building a Ram Temple in Ayodhya,” said Gopinath.

The police, who were deployed in large numbers, prevented the BJP cadre from proceeding further while resulting in a minor scuffle. The police then arrested as many as 62 persons, who were later releasedin the evening.

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