Published 14:47 IST, February 26th 2021
DMK MLA's Ram Mandir contribution irks party; gets 'one god, one religion' clarification
Creating a ruffle within DMK, the party's MLA & secretary of its minority wing S Masthan offered Rs 11,000 donation for Ram Mandir construction in Ayodhya, UP
- India News
- 3 min read
Creating a ruffle within the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), party MLA and secretary of its minority wing S Masthan offered Rs 11,000 as a donation towards the construction of the Ram Mandir in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya. Speaking about his decision to donate funds towards the Ram temple, the DMK MLA said that he has contributed funds for the construction of different temples several times and believes in the principle of "one God, one religion".
It is important to note here that in the past, DMK has opposed the construction of the Ram Mandir. Party President MK Stalin had earlier alleged that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had failed to prove the conspiracy in the Babri Masjid demolition case. As per sources, the DMK leader's decision to donate for the Ram Mandir did not go down well with other DMK leaders. Some DMK allies have also reportedly expressed their clear objection to this issue.
DMK on Ram Mandir
Earlier, former DMK chief and 5-time Chief Minister M Karunanidhi had strongly opposed the demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992. Not only this, the party had also staged protests condemning the Ram Rath Yatra led by LK Advani. Karunanidhi had also condemned the then Union government for not acting in time and preventing "the dastardly act".
The former DMK chief in the past has also opposed the concept of Ramar Palam or Ram Setu (Adam's Bridge). Earlier in 2007, when Sethusamudram Shipping Canal was proposed to be constructed between India and Sri Lanka, many Hindu groups had objected to it, claiming it would harm Ram Setu, which is a mythical bridge built by an army of vanars to help Lord Ram to go to Lanka and bring back his abducted wife Sita. At the time, in a controversial speech, Karunanidhi had asked, "Who is Ram? Ram is a lie. In which engineering college did he studied and is there proof that he constructed a bridge?"
However, according to S Masthan, Karunanidhi was not against any religion. “In his script for the movie Parasakthi, Kalaignar (Karunanidhi) said that the party is not against any religion or temple,” he said. The Gingee MLA also quoted DMK founder CN Annadurai’s principle of ‘Ondre Kulam Oruvane Devan’ (one religion and one god).
Donation drive for Ram Mandir
Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust which is overseeing the construction of Ayodhya Ram Mandir is conducting a mass contact and contribution campaign for the construction of the grand temple in Ayodhya. The Trust was set up in accordance with the Supreme Court verdict on November 9, 2021, for the construction of Ram temple at Ayodhya. The Trust announced in December that it will launch a mass contact and contribution campaign which began on January 15 and is said to go on till February 27. The trust had printed 4 crore coupons of Rs 10 denomination, 8 crore coupons of Rs 100 and 12 lakhs coupons of Rs 1,000 denomination for the donation drive. the Trust said nearly 4 lakh volunteers will cover 55 crore people (11 crore families) in 5 lakh villages during the campaign. The trust's treasurer Swami Govind Dev Giri revealed that Rs.1511 crore has been deposited in its account so far. President Ram Nath Kovind has also donated Rs Five lakh in his personal capacity for the construction of the temple.
Updated 14:48 IST, February 26th 2021