Annamalai says will remove Periyar statues near TN temples if BJP comes to power

In a direct dare to Dravidian politics in Tamil Nadu, firebrand President of Tamil Nadu BJP K Annamalai has said that the statue of EV Ramasamy Naicker (EVR), also known by the epithet ‘Periyar’, outside the Srirangam Ranganathar Temple and all other temples would be removed once the BJP comes to power in the state.

 

While addressing a huge crowd in Srirangam on 7th November during his En Mann En Makkal yatra in Srirangam, Annamalai said, “Outside this (Ranganathar) temple, once the DMK came to power in 1967, they kept a plaque. What does that plaque say? ‘Those who believe in God are idiots, cheats. Don’t believe in God.’ As if they’ve achieved something big, they’ve installed such a plaque with a flag. We Hindus are people who live peacefully following the path of dharma.”

 

He said that the first task of the BJP after assuming power in the state would be to remove the plaque outside the temple.

 

 

 

“Today, from this land of Srirangam, the BJP is taking a vow. Once the BJP comes to power in Tamil Nadu, the first task would be to remove that plaque and flagpole outside the temple. Statues of Azhwars and Nayanmars would be installed. Statues of Tamil scholars would be erected. Tamil scholar Thiruvalluvar’s statue will be installed. Those who sacrificed their lives during the freedom movement, their statues would be installed and worshipped. Not the statue which says ‘Those who believe in God are idiots’. As soon as the BJP comes to power, the BJP government would remove all such statues placed outside all temples.”

 

The 12-foot-high EVR statue was installed outside the Ranganathar Temple by K Veeramani. K Veeramani is the head of the anti-Hindu organisation Dravidar Kazhagam (DK) founded by EVR in December 2006. The statue was installed by DK despite strong protests by Hindu organisations.

 

Hindu groups protested claiming that placing the statue of an atheist and promoting atheist slogans could offend the religious sentiments of Hindus. Violence had ensued reportedly in several parts of the state after activists from the Indhu Makkal Katchi (IMK) on 7th December 2006 damaged a cement statue of EVR.