VELLORE: Alleging a deliberate misinformation campaign was being carried out to depict DMK as an enemy of Hindus, the party chief MK Stalin on Monday asserted that his party is never against Hindus and their sentiments.
Addressing a public meeting at Pandianallur, Sholingur, to seek votes for his party's candidate for Arakkonam Lok Sabha constituency S Jagathrakshagan and Sholingur Assembly segment candidate Sambath, he said the party follows what late leaders CN Annadurai (Anna) and M Karunanidhi had spelt on the religion.
“Anna had stated that onre kulam; oruvane devan (one God, one community). We are following this ideal. We are never against (the belief in) God,” he explained, adding Kalaignar (Karunanidhi) had said that whether we accepted God or not, he had accepted us.
Reciting an oft-quoted dialogue from Tamil film 'Parasakthi', Stalin said his wife was an ardent devotee, never failed to visit temple every day, but he hadn't ever tried to interfere or stop her from doing so.
“A section of media is trying to create an impression that we are against Hindus. We are not worried about their designs because people have accepted us,” he said, and recalled that he had made his party's stand on religions clear while taking over as DMK chief.
“Then itself I explained that we are not against any religion but protect all religions,” he noted.
Mounting his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, he appealed the voters to throw out both of their government as they are like malignant lumps in the body which ought have to be removed.
The DMK president did not either spare PMK founder Dr S Ramadoss when he said the alliance between PMK and AIADMK was forged after 'bargains' held at Chennai, Coimbatore and Bengaluru.
Saying that it was only because of the generosity of his father Karunanidhi that PMK men could become MLAs and MPs to enter into the Assembly and Parliament, Stalin said Karunanidhi had showed mercy in getting Ramadoss' son Anbumani Ramadoss to get a Cabinet berth in the Centre even after then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi refused to accommodate PMK in the Cabinet.
He said Ramadoss had joined hands with AIADMK and BJP only to escaped action on the irregularities committed in dealing with Vanniyar trust properties.
In a spirited attack against the PMK founder, Stalin challenged him to come out with the achievements he had done for the community and said Ramadoss couldn't continue to deceive the Vanniyars, for whom Karunanidhi had provided reservation.
He also questioned Anbumani Ramadoss the rationale behind forging alliance with AIADMK not long before submitting a memorandum to the Governor enlisting 18 charges of scams and corruption against the AIADMK government.