Political Allegiances Overshadow Spirituality at Murugan Devotees' Conference

The Murugan devotees' conference held by the BJP and Hindu Munnani has sparked controversy, with Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Minister P K Sekar Babu accusing the event of targeting Dravidian leaders rather than fostering spirituality. Held on June 22 in Madurai, the conference allegedly portrayed iconic figures like rationalist leader Periyar E V Ramasamy and former Chief Ministers in a negative light.

An audio-visual presentation detailing the history of the Hindu Munnani attracted criticism, particularly from AIADMK leader K T Rajenthra Bhalaji, amid allegations it included disparaging photographs and cartoons of Dravidian leaders. Babu claimed that the event was politically motivated, using the guise of spirituality to attack revered figures such as C N Annadurai and M G Ramachandran.

Further, Babu accused the AIADMK representatives, including former state ministers present at the conference, of silently condoning the verbal attacks, equating their silence to a 'charter of slavery' to the BJP. Additionally, Law Minister S Regupathy criticized the AIADMK for losing the moral right to uphold Annadurai's name.

(With inputs from agencies.)