Nirmala Sitharaman alleges police misuse in Tamil Nadu; Governor Ravi claims 'repression'

Chief Minister M K Stalin also accused Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman of spreading 'blatant lies'

Chennai: Wading into a controversy on the alleged ban on poojas and screening of Pran Pratishtha of Lord Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Tamil Nadu governor R N Ravi on Monday claimed that there was an “all pervasive sense of invisible fear and apprehensions” on the faces of priests and staff of a temple that he visited, triggering a sharp reaction from the state government.

Chief Minister M K Stalin also accused Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who had claimed that the “repression saga” continues in the state, of spreading “blatant lies” that the government has banned screening of the Ayodhya ceremony at the Kamakshi Amman Temple in Kanchipuram. He added that the organisers of the event had given an undertaking that they will not screen “anything” during the bhajan.

“The blatant lie which was deliberately spread by the Union Minister was exposed,” Stalin said, underlining Justice N Anand Venkatesh’s order on Monday in which he said everyone concerned must keep in mind that bhakti towards God is only for peace and happiness and “not to disturb the equilibrium prevailing in the society.”

Tearing into Governor Ravi for his statement, Stalin accused the Governor of “searching Ayodhya politics” in the temple and said Tamil Nadu is a state whose residents worship Lord Balaji, follow the principles of social reformer E V R Periyar and respect people from other faiths.

In a social media post, Governor Ravi said he visited Sri Kodandaramaswami Temple in West Mambalam here which is under the Hindu, Religious & Charitable Endowments (HR & CE) Department.

“There was an all pervasive sense of invisible fear and apprehensions writ large on the faces of priests and temple staff. A stark contrast to the festive environment in the rest of the country. While the entire country is celebrating the Pran Pratishtha of Ram Lalla, the temple premises here exude a sense of acute repression,” Ravi added.

Refuting Governor’s allegations, HR & CE minister P K Sekarbabu said the priests of Sri Kothandaramaswamy Temple where the Governor paid obeisance have themselves made it clear that they were neither in “fear” nor “under threat.” “The Governor is toeing the BJP’s line,” Sekarbabu said and criticised Sitharaman for using “religion” for politics.

In the morning, Sitharaman had alleged that the “repression saga” in Tamil Nadu continued as the state government refused permission to install LED screens to watch the live telecast of Pran Pratishtha

“In a privately held, worshippers watching @PMOIndia perform prana pratishta is a serious infringement on our right to worship. The DMK government in TN completely fails to protect citizens rights. Anti-Hindu DMK now bares its hatred for PM @narendramodi with police force and suppresses peoples aspirations,” she wrote on X.

The day also saw the state government informing the Supreme Court and the Madras High Court that it has not imposed any conditions on the celebrations.