MAYILADUTHURAI: Participating in the 75th-anniversary celebrations of Dharmapuram Adhinam Arts College, which is administered by the Dharmapuram Aadheenam, near Mayiladuthurai, Chief Minister MK Stalin on Thursday called upon spiritual leaders to come forward to support the Tamil cause.
The aadheenam seer, in turn, called the governance by the DMK-led government a “spiritual rule”.
At the event where he inaugurated an auditorium and a recording studio on the premises of the college, the CM said, “We are developing all government departments, particularly the HR&CE department. Under the DMK rule, we have initiated patronage works of over 5,000 temples administered by the HR&CE department this financial year alone. We are winning plaudits from several spiritual leaders.”
“Some people do not wish for the benefits to reach everyone and indulge in propaganda against our government. We don’t care about it. We are content with the support from Tamils and leaders like the Dharmapuram aadheenam seer,” he added.
Mentioning that various spiritual leaders over the past 100 years extended support to various means of protests for protecting the Tamil language and supporting reforms, the CM said, “Today’s spiritual leaders should also continue to support the cause to protect Tamil, Tamils and Tamil Nadu. Only then will the mutts fulfil the purpose of their existence.”
Further, CM Stalin said that his government has taken measures like allowing people from all communities to serve as priests, making Tamil a worship language in temples, retrieving temple lands from encroachment, setting up arts colleges under the HR&CE department, forming committees to coordinate patronage works in temples, allocating fund for renovation of centuries-old temples and conducting the consecration of old temples.
Both Stalin and the Dharmapuram aadheenam seer, 27th Guru Maha Sannithanam Shrila Shri Masilamani Desiga Gnanasambandha Swamigal, recalled the participation of the late DMK leaders, M Karunanidhi and K Anbazhagan, in the events held in the college decades ago. Stalin also recalled his grandfather Muthuvel’s association with the temple at his native village of Thirukkuvalai, which falls under the Aadheenam’s administration.
Addressing the gathering, the mutt seer said, “The current governance is indeed a spiritual rule. The government is taking steps to retrieve encroached temple assets and is allocating funds for conducting patronage and consecration works, including in many old temples in villages.”