CHENNAI: Tamil poet Vairamuthu’s controversial remark on Andal, the saint-poetess revered among the 12 Alwars (Vaishnavaite saints) and daughter of Periya Alwar, took a new turn with Tamil film director Bharathiraja rushing to the aid of Vairamuthu and BJP’s national secretary H. Raja asserting that only spiritual literature paved way for the growth of Tamil and not the works of Dravidian leaders.
As various Hindu leaders and members started venting their anger against Vairamuthu on the social media, BJP’s Andhra Pradesh spokesperson G. Bhanuprakash Reddy filed a complaint against Kanimozhi, DMK MP and daughter of DMK chief M. Karunanidhi, for alleged remarks against the Lord Venkateswara temple. Sources in the BJP here confirmed that a criminal complaint has been filed against Kanimozhi by the Tirupati police for her alleged derogatory remarks against the famous hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara.
Bhanuprakash Reddy had on Thursday evening lodged the complaint with the Tirupati Superintendent of Police claiming that the Rajya Sabha MP had made the “offensive” remarks during an atheist conference at Tiruchi in Tamil Nadu.
“It is a very well known institution. We should learn a lesson. It is wonderfully and beautifully run institution, I agree. When I visited the temple as part of the MP delegation led by M. Venkaiah Naidu (now Vice President)…They say all are equal before god. This is wrong. Those who pay for special darshan get darshan fast and others have to wait for ten to twenty hours for the darshan. This is god. So we were waiting. A MP besides me remarked, ‘you claim there is no god. So many people wait to have His darshan. God grants His devotees’ wishes. How can you say you don’t believe in god?,’”
To this she replied, “there is a big hundial with armed men guarding it. When those who run the temple don’t trust others, how can I trust.”
“For the attention of Tamil youth, Alwars, Nayanmars, Kamban and other Hindu spiritual scholars who gave Devaram, Thiruvasagam, Naalayira Divya Prabandam, Kamba Ramayanam and Periyapuranam worked for the growth of Tamil. Not those who wrote Velaikkaari, Odiponaval and Policekaaran Magal,” Raja said in a Tamil tweet.
When a Twitter user pointed out about Thirukkural, Raja said, “no doubt Thirukkural is 100 per cent a global moral literature. Thiruvalluvar is prime among the saints of our country.
He highlighted human principles Dharma, Adharma, Kaama and Moksham under the topics Aram, Porul, Inbam and Veedu. He made the world to know about our lifestyle.”
Mr Raja’s comments have come close on the heels of filmmaker Bharathiraja lashing out at him on Thursday night, for slamming lyricist Vairamuthu for the latter’s comments on Andal.
Denouncing him for being ‘rude,’ Bharathiraja asked Raja, “can you create literature for Tamils like Vairamuthu has? Can you even write one song that wakes up tired people? Don’t think of destroying such a renowned Tamilian.”
“H. Raja, what you have spoken is the height of boorishness. Vairamuthu, who spoke on the topic ‘Tamizhai Aandal’ in such a manner that even the common man can understand. You have abused the birth of such a great poet.”
