Row breaks out between atheists and faithful as Karunanidhi battles for life
Chennai: While the DMK patriarch M. Karunidhi is battling for life in hospital, an unseemly war on how to express grief and hope has broken out between his followers professing his brand of anti-god rationalism and those who believe in worship.
Dravidar Kazhagam leader K. Veeramani, a close ally of Karunanidhi, issued a statement reminding the DMK cadres that their atheist leader is a non-believer and so they must desist from undertaking “distressing rituals” seeking divine intervention to heal him.
“Kalaignar is in hospital due to infection and age-related ailments, and is recovering due to proper medical treatment. Using this opportunity the enemies of our rationalist principles could inject their religious superstitions opposed by Kalaignar. We must guard against this”, said Veeramani in the long sermon splashed across the DK’s organ, Viduthalai.
While none from the saffron outfits reacted to the DK chief’s attack on the Hindu ‘superstitions’, the DMK came out with a stinging slap almost telling the rationalist leader to clam up. Former Chennai Mayor Ma. Subramanian, MLA and close aide of the party’s working president M. K. Stalin, said while it was “universally known” that Kalaignar has all along been an atheist in the footsteps of DK founder Periyar, one must allow people to follow their own beliefs and must refrain from finding fault.
Unmindful of the rationalist sermon from DK chief Veeramani, the DMK followers continued their fervent prayers in various forms beseeching God Almighty to send their Kalaignar back home, healed. Such demonstrations of camphor-vermilion piety continued outside the Kauvery Hospital and elsewhere in the temples across Tamil Nadu.
The chief of DK, the parent organisation of the DMK, Veeramani went on a tirade, “Kalaignar is fighting the germs of disease. Let us not permit the germs of superstition to enter”. He also listed out a couple of instances of DMK members indulging in Hindu rituals for Karunanidhi’s well-being.
“It was distressing to see on TV the sight of someone breaking a pumpkin outside the (Kauvery) hospital. Equally disturbing was the picture in newspaper showing DMK district secretary T.M. Anbarasan and organising secretary R.S. Bharathi, Rajya Sabha member, participating in a mass worship for Kalaignar's health. It is necessary to prevent this from spreading like a dangerous infectious disease.
“A few could attempt to inject the superstitious dramatics witnessed during Jayalalithaa's hospitalisation into our DMK too. We must prevent this”, said Veeramani.
Ma Subramaniam countered with, “Everyone has his or her own beliefs and ways of worship. They are praying as per their ways for the healing of Kalaignar. We must not criticise that, let alone block it. Shedding all their differences of religion, caste, creed and politics, people across all walks of life are praying for Kalaignar to get well; no other leader in India has ever experienced this unique support”.
