- Tamil Nadu government has decided to form three panels to look after the melting of gold ornaments reserved for the Hindu deities.
- The decision to melt the ornaments by the government is strange as an atheist chief minister is heading the whole process.
- The handling of Mandir affairs by the government is a gross violation of Hindu rights under Article 26 of the Indian constitution.
The cardinal rule of atheism is that it bears no relation to any religion. But, the Godless Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government is a hypocrite at its core. After proclaiming atheistic principles, the MK Stalin government is poking its nose in the administration of Gold ornaments donated to Tamil Nadu temples.
The Godless government will decide the fate of Mandir donation
According to a report published in The Hindu, the DMK government has finally decided to go ahead with its decision to melt the gold ornaments which are donated by the devotees to the Tamil Nadu temples. The government has formed three different panels to oversee the process of melting the gold ornaments. All three heads of the panel are retired judges. One panel will be headed by retired Supreme Court judge Doraiswamy Raju, while two other panels will be headed by retired High Court judges K. Ravichandrabaabu and R. Mala. The decision comes in the wake of media reports about the melting of the donated gold by the government.
According to the government, the gold ornaments will be melted and then will be moulded into biscuit-shaped bars. These bars will be deposited in banks and the interest received from the banks will be utilised in maintaining the temples. These funds will also be utilised to raise funds for development projects and welfare schemes at the Mandir. According to estimates by the senior officials, about 2,000 kg of gold will be converted into bars and the majority of them will come from Tiruttani, Palani, Samayapuram, and Tiruchendur Mandirs.
An official while commenting on the decision said- “We will retain big gold jewelry pieces to adorn the deities. Only small ear and nose rings and chains will be taken for melting. The precious stones will also be retained to adorn the deities. The gold bars, apart from depositing in banks, will also be used for making gold temple cars.”
DMK- A serial anti-Hindu party
The current Tamil Nadu government headed by MK Stalin has been known for its anti-Hindu stances on various issues. After seeing the rise of Hindu unity in the state, Stalin had embraced Hindutva for a brief period of time. However, it turned out to be an election gimmick to garner Hindu votes in the 2021 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election. As soon as DMK came to power, Stalin showed no remorse while destroying seven Mandirs built along the eastern bund of Muthannankulam tank at Kumarasamy Nagar in Coimbatore. To add insult to injury, Stalin was appointed the chairman of the advisory board on temples. All these post-election anti-Hindu stances by Stalin are a continuation of the anti-Hindu legacy of DMK.
Read more: Atheist MK Stalin – the next chairman of ‘The Advisory Committee On Temples’
While on the face, the government has said that the funds received will be utilised for the management of temples, but no one really knows what will be the fate of these funds. If we go by the previous records of various ‘secular’ governments, it’s highly doubtful that the funds from the interests will be utilised for the development of the Mandirs. The nearby states of Telangana and Karnataka have been infamous for diverting temple funds and utilising it for Madrasas and Haj. The managers of Mandirs in Kerala have seen their funds being diverted towards government projects as well. It was only after a fierce reaction by the awakened Hindu community that the state governments formally announced that they will not misappropriate temple funds for other purposes.
Constitutional rights of Hindus being violated
The decision to melt ornaments has been seen as an attack on Hindus’ autonomy. Article 26 of the Constitution of India provides for religious freedom subject to certain restrictions like public order, morality, etc. The article implies that Hindus have the right to establish and maintain their temples and manage their properties, donations, etc. The government is an institution that does not have any official allegiance to any religion. The management of the temples, temple funds, and donations should be the prerogative of the Mandir board elected by the devotees themselves.
While state governments portray themselves as seculars, they do not hesitate even for once before interfering in the internal affairs of Hindu institutions. On other hand, any attempt to interfere in other religions leads to an immediate backlash by the liberal media, forcing the government to retreat. However, the reawakened Hindu society has made it clear that they won’t be tolerating this state-sponsored hypocrisy in the name of secularism anymore.