Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government’s decision to remove LED screens ,set up for live screening of the ‘Prana Prathistha’ ceremony, in temples has sparked controversy. The Tamil Nadu police, dressed in plain clothes, reportedly took down the screens installed in various temples in Tamil Nadu. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has voiced her concerns about the issue.
In a tweet, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has highlighted that the TN government has prohibited the live telecast of Ayodhya Ram Mandir programs held today. She expressed her discontent, pointing out that there are over 200 Shri Ram temples in Tamil Nadu. Sitharaman alleged that in temples managed by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department of the Tamil Nadu government , activities like pooja, bhajan, and distribution of prasadam in the name of Shri Ram were prohibited. The Finance Minister also accused the police of preventing privately held temples from organising events, even threatening to dismantle them.
TN govt has banned watching 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… pic.twitter.com/G3tNuO97xS
— Nirmala Sitharaman (@nsitharaman) January 21, 2024
The Finance Minister criticised the DMK government in Tamil Nadu, alleging a failure to protect citizens’ rights and accusing the government of suppressing people’s aspirations. The removal of LED screens during the ‘Prana Pratishtha’ ceremony has raised concerns about the right to worship and freedom of expression, leading to a heated debate over the government’s actions.
In the Thovalai Murugan Temple , located in Nagercoil, permission is being denied to put up LED screens for live telecast. Order by police seen below. No watching @PMOIndia citing any law and order situation that “might” arise. pic.twitter.com/VkDbgOpRGl
— Nirmala Sitharaman (@nsitharaman) January 22, 2024
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