MK Stalin quotes Karunanidhi’s lines to reiterate DMK’s atheist ideologies

Intervening during the debate on demand for grants for HR and CE department, Stalin reiterated, “Koyil koodathu enru naangal sollavillai, athu kodiyavargalin koodaram agi vida koodathu enbath thaan engal nokkam (We are not against temples, but temples should not become the haven of crooks),” which was received with thunderous applause and thumping of benches by DMK legislators in the House.

Stalin was responding to the charge of state Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar, who accused the DMK of adopting double standard on the issue. It all started when DMK legislator K R Periyakaruppan (Tirupattur) opened his speech by describing his party president M Karunanidhi as the “main deity”, prompting an instant response from Jayakumar who sought to know if the DMK has given up on atheist principles.

Periyakaruppan attempted to correct the Minister by adding that his party chief was committed to atheist principles and he had taken utmost care of the department despite not visiting temples. An unrelenting Jayakumar kept the tongues in the Opposition benches wagging by accusing the DMK of adopting double standard, which triggered an instant reaction from Stalin, who responded in kind by charging the ruling party of not following the principles espoused by C N Annadurai, despite having his name in the party.

Rushing to his cabinet colleague’s defence, State Cooperatives Minister Sellur K Raju clarified that their late leader MGR has kept Anna’s “onrey kulam oruvaney devan (one community, one gold) principle afresh in the minds of people even today. Not content with the clarification, Stalin wrapped up the debate on atheism by recalling the famous Parasakthi dialogue in the House.