Chief Minister M K Stalin launched a virulent attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for making a wild allegation that temples in Tamil were being appropriated by the DMK government and that the income from the places of worship was being misused.
Speaking at an event organized by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR & CE) department to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Saivite saint Thiruvarutprakasa Vallalar in Chennai on Thursday, Stalin said the Prime Minister speaks about Tamil Nadu wherever he goes.
Whether he was in Madhya Pradesh or Andamans or Telangana, he could not forget Tamil Nadu and while visiting Telangana a couple of days back for election campaign, he made those allegations as though the temple came under government control only after the DMK came to power in the State.
Listing out the developments to the temples made under the present DMK government, he said that not a single paise dropping in the temple offering box was taken out for any other purpose and there was a proper system to monitor the flow of funds.
Making an announcement that the new bus stand coming up at Cuddalore district would be named after Vallalar on the occasion, Stalin said that it was M Karunanidhi who first named a colony after the Saivite saint.
He explained how the rationalist party like DMK took care of the temples in the State and spent money for their maintenance, upkeep, development and also conservation.
TNCC president K S Alagiri also slammed Modi for making the allegation against Tamil Nadu and said that the HR & CE department was efficiently managing the affairs of 36,424 temples and 56 mutts having nearly 5 lakh acres of land.
Alagiri said that Modi was trying to create communal tension in the State that was known for peace and harmony and added that his efforts would never fructify.
