‘Temples are for people, be it democracy or monarchy’

Chennai: Chief minister M K Stalin on Sunday said “certain forces” jealous of the various welfare measures taken by the state Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments department, including appointing ‘archakas’, cutting across castes, were trying to malign the DMK government with baseless allegations.
“Temples are for the people, be it under a democracy or a monarchy.They cannot be someone’s personal property,” said the CM.
“People have given this government in our hands and we will live up to their expectations,” he added.
Taking part in a mass wedding ceremony at the Marundeeswarar temple in Chennai on Sunday during which 31 couples tied the knot, Stalin urged them to have just one or two children, “keeping in mind the welfare of the nation” and advised them to give their newborns “beautiful” Tamil names. He called on them to uphold social justice. The mass weddings were organised by the HR & CE department across the state to benefit couples from economically weaker sections.
At least 200 couples got married in the various temples across the state on Sunday. The entire cost of the marriages was borne by the government with the couples given a gold `thali’ and gifts that included beds, mattresses, cupboards, and utensils for cooking, worth ₹46,000.
Showering accolades on HR & CE minister P K Sekar Babu, he said the achievements by the department were immense. “This is making many jealous and they are trying to slander the government in the name of religion. When we ask them if they have proof for their statements, they say no,” said Stalin. He said Periyar’s dream of people of all castes becoming priests in temples had been fulfilled and the move to conduct poojas in Tamil would be extended to more temples. Stalin said the department had appointed a female priest, and many more reforms have been rolled out. Temple properties worth ₹3,700 crore had been retrieved.
Attending the wedding of DMK MLA K Sundar’s son in Mamallapuram near Chennai, on Sunday, Stalin said the groom Vetriselvan, like his father, has been working for the DMK since the year 2000, in the youth wing. “Even he is a ‘varisu’ (heir). We have heirs, so we proudly proclaim the word `varisu’. This is family affection. Anna has created this movement with a feeling of family affection,” said Stalin.