On 22nd January, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman slammed the Tamil Nadu government for not allowing live telecast of Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha in temples. FM Sitharaman was scheduled to witness the ceremony live at a private temple in a small village in Tamil Nadu. However, the police personnel came in plain clothes and removed the LEDs.
The repression saga in TN continues: a small village (not more than 200 houses) where people wanted to celebrate #AyodhyaRamMandir and watch PM @narendramodi participate have been told that unless the District Collector gives permission they shall not install the hired LED…
— Nirmala Sitharaman (@nsitharaman) January 22, 2024
FM Sitharaman voiced her concerns about the repression of religious festivities and the infringement of Hindus’ rights by the DMK-led state government. The minister took on X (formerly Twitter) to highlight the situation in various villages and temples where local authorities and police personnel hindered the installation of LED screens meant for the live telecast of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s participation in the Ayodhya Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha ceremony.
Inside the famous Kamakshi Kovil, which is privately held, where bhajans have started from 08:00hrs, LED screens are being removed with plain-clothed policemen.
— Nirmala Sitharaman (@nsitharaman) January 22, 2024
In a temple, privately held, worshippers watching @PMOIndia perform prana prathishta is a serious infringement on our… pic.twitter.com/ykRKhYOgZZ
FM Sitharaman mentioned the village of Chengalpattu district, where the community wanted to celebrate the occasion and watch the live telecast on LED screens; however, due to the District Collector’s inaction on granting permission for the same. FM Sitharaman described a similar situation in Singaperumal Koil, another village in the same district, where police personnel in civil clothes came and removed LED screens from the privately held Kamakshi Kovil temple.
Annadhanam is prevented in temples like Sriperumbudur Selva Vinayagar Temple held by HR&CE, privately held Molachur Karumariamman Temple and again privately held Selvizhimangalam Jambodai Perumal Temple by the TN Police. #AntiHindu DMK government continues repression using…
— Nirmala Sitharaman (@nsitharaman) January 22, 2024
The FM expressed her dismay over the direct attack on freedom of worship and stated the actions taken by the DMK govt were anti-Hindu. She specifically pointed out the actions taken by the state government against the live telecast of PM Modi’s participation in the Pran Pratishtha ceremony on the temple premises. In the Kanchipuram district, FM said that there were reports that police blocked LED installation at 400 locations. She stated that several LED suppliers fled out of fear of the government.
Earlier, on 21st January, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) criticised the DMK-led Tamil Nadu government for prohibiting special poojas and food offerings in temples during the Ram Mandir Pran Prathistha. BJP Tamil Nadu President Annamalai and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman accused the state of anti-Hindu activities and interfering with temple practices, including banning live telecasts of the event. Reports suggested that the government issued an unofficial directive against organising events for the Pran Pratishtha ceremony, Annadanam, or related programs in temples for the occasion. Reportedly, the police also prevented live telecasts of the event at public places with actions threatened against non-compliant temple authorities.
