Sitharaman Claims Tamil Nadu Bans Lord Ram Puja in Temples; State Denies

In a controversial claim based on a report from a Tamil daily, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman asserted on Sunday that temples administered by the Tamil Nadu government had allegedly prohibited puja ceremonies for Lord Ram on the day of the consecration of the grand temple in Ayodhya. However, the state promptly dismissed these allegations as false news driven by ulterior motives.

Taking to social media platform X, Sitharaman posted, “TN govt has banned watching a live telecast of #AyodhaRamMandir programmes of 22 Jan 24. In TN there are over 200 temples for Shri Ram. In HR&CE-managed temples, no puja/bhajan/prasadam/annadanam in the name of Shri Ram is allowed. Police are stopping privately held temples also from organizing events. They are threatening organisers that they will rip off pandals. Strongly condemn this anti-Hindu, hateful action.” The Union Minister included a reference to the Tamil newspaper’s report in her post.

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Responding to these serious allegations, P K Sekar Babu, Tamil Nadu’s Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Minister, refuted the claim, stating that there is no such ban in place. According to him, the HR & CE Department has not imposed any restrictions on conducting puja ceremonies for Lord Ram in temples across Tamil Nadu. Furthermore, he emphasized that there are no constraints on the distribution of ‘Annadhanam’ and ‘Prasadam.’

Sekar Babu dismissed the allegations as mere rumours intended to divert public attention from the ongoing DMK’s youth wing conference in Salem. He took to social media to express his viewpoint, labelling the report as entirely false and driven by ulterior motives. The minister expressed regret that Sitharaman, holding a high office, was circulating what he deemed as fake news. The conflicting narratives surrounding this issue highlight the importance of discerning the accuracy of information in the current media landscape.