RAMANATHAPURAM: On the last leg of his three-day visit to the state, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday visited Arichal Munai and the Kothandaramar Temple in Ramanathapuram district on Sunday. Around 9 am, he visited Arichal Munai and performed a special pooja near the shore. Modi also indulged in breathing exercises and later viewed the Ram Setu with a telescope. He then headed to the Kothandaramar Temple around 11 am.
After offering prayers, the prime minister left the temple around 11.30 am. He flew by helicopter to Madurai and then left for Delhi. Temple priests said Modi carried with him ‘kalash’ of holy waters from Tamil Nadu.
Ahead of the opening of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, BJP leaders and cadre have been busy cleaning Lord Ram temples across the country. In line with this, TN BJP chief Annamalai and other cadre cleaned the Kothandaramar Temple on Sunday.
Speaking to mediapersons about HR&CE Minister Sekarbabu’s remarks on the cleaning of temples by BJP, Annamalai said, “Chennai’s Swachh Bharat rankings have fallen drastically. Just 12% of the garbage has been cleared in Chennai and the corporation has failed to clear the rest. Creating garbage-filled cities is the DMK’s achievement. We are cleaning the temple as commoners and not for political reasons. But the DMK minister is making this a political issue.”
Congress stages protest
Alleging that the prime minister failed to address the issues of Tamil fisherfolk, Congress cadres led by All-India Fishermen Congress national president Armstrong Fernando staged a protest, releasing black balloons from the Pamban Bridge. Fernando said that in 2022, the Sri Lankan navy seized 36 boats and arrested 264 fishermen from Tamil Nadu. In 2023, they seized 35 boats and arrested 240 fishermen. In the past two weeks alone, 40 fishermen from the state were arrested and jailed in Sri Lanka.
“After the BJP came to power in 2014, the oppression of Tamil fishermen by the Sri Lankan navy has increased. Attacks by Sri Lankan soldiers on Tamil fishermen continue as Prime Minister Modi’s regime is weak. In the last 10 years alone, more than 300 boats have been seized by the Sri Lankan navy and 140 boats have been confiscated by Sri Lanka’s courts. The boats are being dismantled and used as firewood, while the machinery is being sold as scrap,” Fernando stated. “The centre has failed to address the issues of Tamil fishermen or helped to retrieve their boats,” he added.
(With inputs from agencies)