Sekarbabu slams EPS for 'ignorance' over temple fund usage, questions what’s wrong in building colleges
The minister's sharp retort came in response to Palaniswami's remarks during a public meeting in Coimbatore as part of his state-wide campaign 'Makkalai Kaappom, Thamizhagathai Meetpom' on Tuesday.
Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Minister PK Sekarbabu
CHENNAI: Rebuking AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami for criticising the Tamil Nadu government for constructing education institutions using resources of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) maintained temples, Minister P K Sekarbabu stated that the AIADMK leader was steeped in ignorance and unaware of historical precedents.
He also pointed out that the department has already established several colleges using the temple funds and questioned, "What is wrong with building educational institutions for the welfare of the student community?"
The minister's sharp retort came in response to Palaniswami's remarks during a public meeting in Coimbatore as part of his state-wide campaign 'Makkalai Kaappom, Thamizhagathai Meetpom' on Tuesday.
While addressing the gathering from his campaign vehicle, Palaniswami questioned the rationale behind the DMK government's decision to utilise the donations made by the devotees to temples for constructing colleges. There is nothing wrong with building colleges, he said, "but the AIADMK government did it using its funds, not the offerings of the devotees."
Responding to this, the HR&CE Minister reiterated that several colleges had indeed been constructed utilising the temple funds for the welfare of the students.
"What is wrong with this?" he asked, ridiculing Palaniswami's remarks as exposing his ignorance of the department's role and its historical background.
Meanwhile, parents of the students of Arulmigu Sri Kapaleeswarar Arts and Science College in Chief Minister MK Stalin's Kolathur constituency resorted to protest condemning Palaniswami's criticism.
Holding placards reading, "It is not wrong to build colleges using temple funds, " they gathered on the college and raised slogans to register their condemnation against the AIADMK leader for his remark.
The college in Kolathur was one of the educational institutions constructed by the department. It has more than 750 students enrolled in five streams.
