Not in agreement with construction of Ram temple after demolishing mosque: Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin
"We don't have a problem with a temple coming up there. We are not in agreement with the construction of a temple after demolishing a mosque," the DMK leader said
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party is not in agreement with a temple that was constructed after demolishing a mosque, the party's youth wing chief and Tamil Nadu's Youth Welfare and Sports Development Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin said on Thursday referring to to Ayodhya's Ram Temple.
Speaking to reporters in Chennai, Udhayanidhi, the son of Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin, said his grandfather, iconic politician MK Karunanidhi, had said the DMK wasn't against any particular religion or faith.
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"We don't have a problem with a temple coming up there. We are not in agreement with the construction of a temple after demolishing a mosque," the DMK leader said, referring to the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992, PTI reported.
The leader, who triggered a massive row last over over his Sanatan Dharma remark, said religion shouldn't be mixed with politics.
"Our Treasurer (TR Baalu) has already stated that spiritualism and politics should not be mixed," said Udhayanidhi.
The consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple will be held in Ayodhya on January 22. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, other politicians, actors and hundreds of other celebrities have been invited to the event.
The Congress and many other Opposition parties, including CPI(M) and TMC, have turned down the invitation to the event saying the BJP is trying to exact political mileage from the religious ceremony.
After nearly three decades since the Babri demolition, the Supreme Court in 2019 ordered the construction of the temple on the disputed site. It also asked the authorities to provide a separate parcel of land for a grand mosque.
In September last year, Udhayanidhi Stalin courted controversy with his remark that Sanatana dharma was against the idea of social justice and must be eradicated.
"A few things cannot be opposed, that should be abolished only. We can't oppose dengue, mosquitoes, malaria, or corona. We have to eradicate this, that's how we have to eradicate Sanatana," Udhayanidhi had said.
Reacting to the remark, the BJP had accused Stalin of appeasement politics.
