Murugan Bhakthargal conference held as a political event, says CPI(M) leader
'The Murugan Bhakthargal conference, which ought to be a religious conference, was conducted as a pure political event which was against the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court's order' said Communist Party of India (Marxist) State Secretary P. Shanmugam.
Speaking at a public meeting at Tirupparankundram here on Friday, he said that the Murugan Bhakthargal conference, which ought to be a religious conference was conducted as a pure political event which was against the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court's order.
He added that: 'The Madras High Court should take a Suo moto case against the Murugan Bhakthargal conference organisers as it was a contempt of the very court which passes directions.'
'Tamil Nadu government by not initiating any action against the organisers for inciting communal hatred is showing a soft corner to the Hindutva forces,' he added.
He thanked the people of the State for ignoring the event, realising that it was a political event.
'When lakhs of people visit Palani hills and other Murugan temples for occasions like Thaipoosam and Panguni Uthiram, however, the Murugan conference, portrayed as a religious event, did not receive response from the people,' Mr. Shanmugam noted.
As an RSS leader has spoken about the need to remove the words 'socialism,' and 'secularism,' from the Indian Constitution, their original intent has been exposed, he stated.
'If BJP had won in 2024 with an absolute majority, their first work would have been to replace the Constitution. As it is the only binding force which respects and treats every citizen equally, the BJP government did not want secularism to be followed,' he observed.
Madurai MP Su. Venkatesan, addressing the gathering, charged AIADMK leader and former Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswamy with a delayed reaction to the humiliation of leaders like C.N. Annadurai and Periyar.
'Annadurai and Periyar could not be just treated as political leaders as they have shaped the political landscape of the State and have driven the people towards progressive thinking,' he added.
He demanded action against Hindu Munnani for passing a resolution against a religious structure which has been in the faith of people for thousands of years.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
AIADMK hits back after Amit Shah claims NDA will form govt in Tamil Nadu
Union home minister Amit Shah told a Tamil daily that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will form a coalition government in Tamil Nadu after the 2026 assembly elections, sparking a political controversy and push back from the Dravidian party on Friday. Chennai: Union Home Minister Amit Shah with AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, Tamil Nadu BJP President K Annamalai and others during a press conference, in Chennai, Friday, April 11, 2025. (PTI) 'The NDA will form the government in Tamil Nadu after the 2026 assembly elections and the BJP will be a part of it,' Shah replied to a question on whether the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP') will be part of the coalition government in an interview to Tamil daily Dina Thanthi, which was published on Friday. Shah also addressed his recent statement on English. 'I said the importance of regional languages should increase,' he said. 'And we should make efforts so that by 2047, all Indians speak in regional languages.' AIADMK spokesperson and former minister C Vaigaichelvan appeared to contradict Shah's statement, saying there was no history of a coalition government in Tamil Nadu. 'So far, people of Tamil Nadu have not accepted such a coalition government and it doesn't look like it,' Vaigaichelvan said, adding that their common goal was to defeat the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). AIADMK general secretary Edappadi Palaniswami (EPS) will speak in detail on the issue, he added. The BJP and the AIADMK were allies, but had a bitter parting of ways in 2023 over several issues, including former BJP state unit chief K Annamalai's criticism of AIADMK leaders. The two parties fought the Lok Sabha elections in 2024 separately. The AIADMK registered a 20.4% vote share in one of its worst Lok Sabha performances, while the BJP, contesting in more number of seats, registered one of its best performances in Tamil Nadu with a 11.4% vote share, though parties won zero seats In April 2025, the two parties came together again though talks of renewing the alliance began after the 2024 general elections. 'After the AIADMK's performance in the Lok Sabha and the BJP also not meeting its target. a section of party leaders as well as Sangh functionaries suggested renewing the alliance,' said a senior BJP aware of the details after the alliance was announced. At the time, Shah had also made a similar statement on a coalition government, creating some confusion between the allies. At the time, both BJP state chief Nainar Nagendran and EPS had clarified that Shah had only meant that the NDA, led by the AIADMK, will form the government. However, on Friday they seemed to take different approaches. 'The Union home minister and EPS will discuss this,' Nagendran told reporters when asked about the possibility of a coalition government. Other state BJP leaders, including former Union minister Pon Radhakrishnan, shared Shah's interview and said there will be a coalition government in 2026 by the NDA. Both the Dravidian majors, the DMK and the AIADMK, have historically resisted coalition governments in Tamil Nadu, even though they have been part of coalition governments at the national level. In the 2006 assembly elections, when no party had an absolute majority, then DMK chief M Karunanidhi formed a minority government with outside support from parties such as the Congress and Left parties. Vaigaichelvan, on Friday, said that during the 1980 Tamil Nadu assembly elections –– when the DMK and the Congress proposed a coalition government, people of Tamil Nadu rejected them and voted the AIADMK as the single largest party. In the interview, Shah said that the CM candidate will be from the AIADMK, but did not explicitly name EPS. Former AIADMK minister Rajendra Balaji said that the two parties had arrived at a joint decision that the AIADMK will lead the NDA, and that EPS will be the CM candidate. 'I don't know in what context the Union home minister said there will be a coalition government. EPS will make a final decision,' Balaji told reporters. This comes at a time when the AIADMK has already opposed the criticism of Dravidian stalwarts EV Ramasamy (Periyar) and CN Annadurai at the Murugan conference held on June 22 by right wing group Hindu Munnani, and backed by the BJP. On other issues such as the controversy over the Keeladi archaeological report, Shah said that the Union government will be proud of proof of an ancient civilisation anywhere in India, but added that Tamil Nadu must cooperate to prove findings as per international standards. Chief minister M K Stalin has accused the central government of refusing to accept the scientific proof of findings in Keeladi out of a hatred for Tamil pride and because the evidence doesn't suit the script of the BJP. Shah accused Stalin of trying to deviate attention from corruption and law and order problems, by using delimitation, and promised that the Prime Minister will not allow injustices towards Tamil Nadu.
Economic Times
2 hours ago
- Economic Times
Assault on Constitution's soul: Opposition slams RSS' view on Preamble
RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale Several opposition parties on Friday denounced RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale's call to review the words 'socialist' and 'secular' in the Preamble, terming it a "deliberate assault" on the soul of the Constitution. The attack came a day after the RSS proposed reviewing the two words, saying they were included during the Emergency and were never part of the Constitution drafted by B R Ambedkar. While the Congress saw it as a "deliberate assault" on the soul of the Constitution and claimed the RSS-BJP had never accepted Ambedkar's Constitution, the CPI(M) said the demand exposes the RSS' long-standing objective of subverting leader Rahul Gandhi said the mask of the RSS has come off again as they want 'Manusmriti'. "The Constitution irks them because it speaks of equality, secularism, and justice," he said in a post in Hindi on X."The RSS-BJP doesn't want the Constitution; they want 'Manusmriti'. They aim to strip the marginalized and the poor of their rights and enslave them again. Snatching a powerful weapon like the Constitution from them is their real agenda," he alleged. "The RSS should stop dreaming... we will never let them succeed. Every patriotic Indian will defend the Constitution until their last breath," the former Congress chief leader and Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said Hosabale's call is a "brazen attempt to dismantle the core ideals of our Republic"."Invoking the Emergency to discredit these principles is a deceitful move, especially when the RSS colluded with the Indira Gandhi government during that time for its own survival. To use that period now to undermine the Constitution reflects sheer hypocrisy and political opportunism."Secularism and socialism are not additions; they define India. Every citizen who believes in democracy must raise their voice against this communal agenda," Vijayan said on Left parties and RJD alleged that Hosabale's proposal was part of a conspiracy to change the general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said the BJP/RSS attacked Ambedkar, Nehru, and others involved in the framing of the Constitution from November 30, 1949, onwards. "In the RSS' own words, the Constitution was not inspired by Manusmriti," he said in a post on X."The RSS and the BJP have repeatedly given the call for a new Constitution. This was Mr (Narendra) Modi's campaign cry during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The people of India decisively rejected this cry. Yet the demands for changing the basic structure of the Constitution continue to be made by the RSS ecosystem," Ramesh said. Sharing the Supreme Court's November 25, 2024, judgment on the issue, he said, "Would it be asking too much to request him to take the trouble to read it?" In a post on X from its official handle, the Congress alleged the RSS-BJP's ideology stands in direct opposition to the Indian Constitution."RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale has openly called for the removal of the words 'socialist' and 'secular' from the Preamble. This is not just a suggestion -- it is a deliberate assault on the soul of our Constitution," it said."It is part of a long-standing conspiracy to dismantle Babasaheb Ambedkar's vision for a just, inclusive and democratic India -- something the RSS-BJP has always been plotting. Let us not forget: when the Constitution was adopted, the RSS rejected it. They didn't just oppose it, they burnt it." The Congress said the people saw through their agenda and gave them a resounding answer."Now, they have returned to their old playbook. But let it be known: The Congress will stand as an unbreakable wall against any attempt to undermine the Constitution. Jai Samvidhan," it General Secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal mounted a scathing attack on the RSS and the BJP, saying, "The RSS' single-minded focus to destroy the Constitution is never hidden for too long. Beyond the BJP's lip service to the Constitution, their hidden agenda has always been to distort and destroy our Constitution -- because it stands against the core fascist beliefs of the RSS-BJP." "A senior RSS member surely knows that the Supreme Court declared socialism and secularism to be part of the basic structure of the Constitution. Yet, to take this stand is a clear insult to the Constitution, a rejection of its values, and a direct attack on the Supreme Court of India as well," he said on X. The MP from Kerala's Alappuzha added that the people of India were very much aware of the "devious means deployed by the RSS to spread poison and divide this country". "We will never let them succeed in this mission, and will defend the Constitution to the hilt," he stressed. Congress deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha Pramod Tiwari said, "Once again, the truth slipped out. The hidden agenda of the BJP and RSS is now out in the open. They want to remove the core values of secularism and socialism from the Constitution." The BJP hit back at the Congress, accusing it of being behind all the violations of India's Constitution since Independence and asked the party to apologise for its Emergency-era atrocities on people instead of resorting to issue before the country is the violation of people's fundamental rights by the Congress government during the Emergency, said BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu other opposition parties, RJD president Lalu Prasad, who claimed that social justice and communal harmony are his guiding principles, voiced his anguish on X by terming the RSS a "casteist" RJD supremo also said, "They do not have the guts to cast an evil eye on the Constitution and reservations provided therein. Why are people with an unjust character so full of hatred for democracy and Babasaheb Ambedkar's Constitution?" Party MP Manoj Kumar Jha said, "Perhaps he (Hosabale) hasn't read it; I would advise him to seriously read the Constituent Assembly debates. Socialism and secularism were integral parts of our Constitution." In a statement, the CPI(M) Politburo said the inclusion of 'socialism' and 'secularism' in the Preamble is not an arbitrary addition and reflects the core values for which freedom fighters sacrificed their lives. "The Communist Party of India (Marxist) strongly denounces the proposal made by the RSS general secretary to remove the words 'socialist' and 'secular' from the Preamble of the Indian Constitution. This proposal exposes the RSS's long-standing objective of subverting the Constitution and its intent to transform India into a Hindu Rashtra, in pursuit of its Hindutva project." "It is the height of hypocrisy for the RSS, which played no role in the freedom movement, to now advocate for the removal of these foundational principles. That it cannot tolerate the values cherished by our martyrs betrays its reactionary, anti-people, and divisive ideology," the Left party "firmly" opposed "any attempt to alter the core values enshrined in our Constitution. We appeal to the people to remain vigilant and resolutely resist all such efforts by the RSS and its protege BJP." CPI General Secretary D Raja said everyone knows what RSS wants. "Everyone knows it is opposed to constitution/why they spoke of '400-paar' and that is why defending constitution became the central issue for opposition parties." Hosabale, while addressing an event on the Emergency, said on Thursday that "the preamble of the Constitution Baba Saheb Ambedkar made never had these words." "During the Emergency, when fundamental rights were suspended, Parliament did not work, and judiciary became lame, then these words were added." The RSS leader said discussions were held on this issue later but no effort was made to remove them from the Preamble. "So whether they should remain in the Preamble should be considered," he had added. Union Minister Jitendra Singh, however, sought to defend Hosabale's call, saying any right-thinking citizen would endorse it because everybody knows that these words were not part of the original Constitution written by Ambedkar. PTI
The Print
2 hours ago
- The Print
Shivraj seconds Hosabale's call for review of insertion of secularism, socialism in Preamble
'Secularism is not the core of our culture. That is why there should indeed be a discussion about it. The word 'secularism' was added during the Emergency—there should be deliberation on removing it,' Chouhan said to a question on whether these terms should be removed from the Preamble. These words, according to the senior BJP leader, were not part of India's civilisational ethos and had been inserted during the 1975 Emergency. New Delhi: After Dattatreya Hosabale of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan joined the bandwagon demanding a rethink on the relevance of the words secularism and socialism in the Constitution. In Varanasi, the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare also described India as 'an ancient and great nation' founded on the principle of Sarva Dharma Sambhav—equal respect for all faiths. He emphasised that India, as a civilisation, has long upheld religious harmony and mutual respect across traditions. 'This is the India that, not today but thousands of years ago, said 'Ekam sad vipra bahudha vadanti'—Truth is one, the wise call it by many names,' he said, quoting ancient scripture to underline India's pluralistic tradition. 'This is the India that says 'Munde munde matir bhinna'—every mind is different. It respects differing thoughts and forms of worship.' Citing Swami Vivekananda's historic speech in Chicago, Chouhan added, 'No matter which path you follow, ultimately all lead to the same supreme truth.' A day earlier, Hosabale had forcefully argued for reviewing the inclusion of secularism and socialism in the Constitution. The RSS general secretary said the two terms were inserted into the Preamble during the Emergency—bypassing public debate—and were not part of the Constitution originally drafted by Chouhan also questioned the relevance of socialism in contemporary India, asserting that Indian philosophy already embodies egalitarian values through its ancient teachings. 'Atmavat sarvabhuteshu—to see oneself in all beings—is India's fundamental thought. The entire world is one family—this is India's spirit. Live and let live, let there be goodwill among living beings, let the world be well,' he said. 'Sarve bhavantu sukhinah, sarve santu niramayah—may all be happy, may all be free of illness—this is India's true sentiment. That's why we don't need socialism,' Chouhan said. 'We've been saying it for years—Sia Ram may sab jag jani—see everyone as one and the same. There is no need for imposed socialism.' The nation, the Union Minister said, must seriously reflect on this (removal of secularism and socialism from the Constitution. (Edited by Tony Rai) Also Read: 'Mask comes off' as RSS wants 'Manusmriti', says Rahul on call to drop 'secular' from Constitution
