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VHP rath yatra enters TN, sparks statewide protests
Despite widespread protests and road blockades, the VHP-backed ‘Ram Rajya Rath Yatra’ entered Tamil Nadu through the Tirunelveli district with police protection, on Tuesday
By
migrator
migrator
Coimbatore
To prevent untoward incidents during the entry of the yatra, authorities had imposed prohibitory orders under section 144 of the CrPC in the district from 6 pm on Monday to 6 am on Friday
Opposition parties, Dravidian and Tamil outfits opposed the entry of the yatra and consequently, more than 1,500 policemen were deployed in the district for security. According to police, 32 check posts were set up to prevent protesters from interrupting the VHP-backed yatra.
Despite the opposition, the yatra entered Kottaivasal, the entry point into Tamil Nadu from Kerala. At Kottaivasal, the yatra was welcomed by floral showers and prayers were recited. However, members of opposition parties and organisations staged road rokos in Tenkasi and Sengottai condemning the yatra. The Tirumangalam-Kollam National Highway, through which the yatra proceeded to Virudhunagar, was blocked by protesters.
Politicians, including VCK’s Thol Thirumavalavan, Naam Tamil Katchi’s Seeman, Dravidar Viduthalai Kazhagam leader Kolathur Mani and others, were arrested when they tried to go to Sengottai to stage a protest against the VHP-backed yatra.
Before the arrest, Seeman said such yatras were planned to divert issues and to trigger communal tension in the state. If section 144 is imposed, it applies to all. But in Tirunelveli, the prohibitory orders have been imposed only to arrest the protesters, Seeman claimed.
Tirunelveli SP Arun Sakthi Kumar said all the protesters who tried to block the Rath Yatra would be arrested.
Meanwhile, members of Muslim outfits and opposition parties resorted to road blockades and demonstrations in the Western districts against the Yatra. Traffic was thrown out of gear on arterial stretches due to the protest causing tension in Coimbatore, Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri districts. In Coimbatore, Manithaneya Makkal Katchi and Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam members staged a protest at Aathupalam. The protest escalated into a scuffle with police, when the demonstrators attempted to block roads.
State BJP chief Tamilisai Soundararajan told the media at Ambur that DMK working president MK Stalin has no right to criticise or oppose the yatra, as it was now common for TN politicians to criticise Hinduism.
AYODHYA TO RAMESWARAM
What is the ‘Ram Rajya Rath Yatra’?
The ‘Ram Rajya Rath Yatra’, organised by a Maharashtra-based social organisation, was flagged off from Karsevakpuram, where a workshop to carve pillars for the Ram temple was set up by the VHP in the 1990s, at Ayodhya on Feb 13, 2018.
- The rath — a converted Tata mini-truck — travelled through BJP-ruled UP, MP, Maharashtra and Karnataka. The last leg covers Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
- The 6,000 km yatra, which will be held for 41 days, will cover six states
- Besides VHP, several RSS-linked outfits like Muslim Rashtriya Manch are taking part in it
- Rath is a replica of VHP’s proposed Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
- The rath on its last leg entered TN via Kottaivasal in Tirunelveli district on Tuesday and headed for Rameswaram, the culmination point
Procession shouldn’t disrupt communal amity, says Rajini
Commenting on the controversy stoked by the Ram Rajya Rath Yatra in Tamil Nadu, actor Rajinikanth on Tuesday said, “Tamil Nadu is a secular state. Communal violence has no place here. Any threat to communal harmony must be dealt with by the police. I am confident that the government will be able to protect it.” When asked if he as a self-proclaimed spiritual politician won’t welcome the yatra, the actor, who returned from a Himalayan journey on Tuesday, said the yatra should not disrupt communal harmony.
Kamal slams state govt’s nod for rally
Actor-turned-politician Kamal Hassan took to Twitter to criticise the decision of the Tamil Nadu government to allow the Ram Rajya Rath Yatra organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad into the state.
In a strongly worded tweet, he said, “The well-meaning voices that have spoken for communal harmony have seen the imposition of (Section) 144 and arrests. The procession that has political motives and is aimed at dividing the people has been granted permission. Not considering the sentiment of the people or caring for the students across the state about to sit exams, the government seems to be doing someone’s bidding.”
Kamal Haasan claimed that the ruling AIADMK government has been lenient regarding the yatra due to a secret nexus between the ruling party in the state and the BJP government at the Centre.
The Ram Rajya Rath Yatra saw protests erupting across the state organised by various opposition parties, including the DMK and Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam.
The protests at 69 locations in Chennai saw the arrest of 3,314 people.
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