Firing yet another salvo against Governor R N Ravi, this time for his statement that India has been guided by Sanatan Dharma for thousands of years, the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) on Monday sought to know whether he was “Governor or protector of Sanatan Dharma”.
An editorial in Murasoli, the party’s mouthpiece whose publisher is Chief Minister M K Stalin’s son Udhayanidhi, also handed out advice to Ravi. “The Governor should speak the rule of law, not rule of Manu (dharma).”
The scathing attack on the Governor came a day after DMK’s parliamentary party leader T R Baalu reminded Ravi that it was the Constitution of India, and not Sanatan Dharma, that guides India. Baalu had said the Governor’s statement had created several doubts in the minds of the people.
The Governor, while speaking at an event in Chennai on June 11, said India has been guided by Sanatan Dharma for several thousands of years and almost justified the destruction of Peshawar and Kandahar in Afghanistan following the 9/11 attacks on the US.
Titled ‘Governor or protector of Sanatana’, the editorial described National Entrance-cum-Eligibility Test (NEET) for admissions into medical colleges as the “new form” of Sanatan Dharma and termed New Education Policy (NEP) as the “modern Manu Dharma.”
“The words uttered by Governor R N Ravi are causing great confusion in the state. It is not known whether it (causing confusion) is the motive…He behaves like he is the Public Relations Officer (PRO) for NEP as he speaks about it wherever he goes,” the article said.
DMK doesn’t share the best of relations with Governor Ravi and had sought his recall for “not exercising his constitutional duty” on NEET and several other issues.
It also criticised him for his statement that people of Tamil Nadu are opposing NEP without reading its contents, saying the policy doesn’t encourage students to pursue education but discourages them and would lead to dropouts from schools.
“It (NEP) stops the entry of people into the education system in the form of entrance tests. One glance at NEP is enough to understand that it is only for the elite. His views on spirituality are absurd. Two days ago, he made a speech whose aim seems to project him as protector of Sanatan Dharma. It is clear he is under the control of Sanatan forces,” the article said.
If the Governor doesn’t know what Sanatan Dharma is, the article said, he should ask President Ram Nath Kovind why he was not allowed inside the Puri Jagannath Temple. “The governor doesn’t know what he is talking about. The governor should speak the rule of law and not rule of Manu,” it added.