'MK Stalin govt banned Ayodhya Temple live telecast in Tamil Nadu': Union minister Nirmala Sitharaman

The exchange comes in the context of a statement made last week by Udhayanidhi Stalin, son of MK Stalin and DMK leader, expressing disagreement with a temple built after demolishing a mosque.

Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday (January 21) accused the Tamil Nadu government led by MK Stalin of prohibiting the live telecast of scheduled Ram Temple programs and alleged that state police are obstructing private temples from organizing events related to the Ayodhya temple's consecration.

In response, the Tamil Nadu government refuted the claims, stating that the BJP is disseminating misinformation to divert attention from the DMK Youth Conference in Salem.

Taking to X, Nirmala Sitharaman said that the Tamil Nadu government has banned the live telecast of Ayodhya Ram Mandir programs on January 22. She claimed that in HR&CE managed temples in the state, no puja, bhajan, prasadam, or annadanam in the name of Shri Ram is allowed.

Sitharaman also alleged that the police are preventing privately held temples from organizing events and threatening organizers with the removal of pandals.

Reacting to this, PK Sekar Babu, the Minister of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments, condemned Sitharaman's remarks. Babu said that false information is being spread to divert attention from the DMK Youth Conference in Salem.

He clarified that the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments department has not imposed any limitations on devotees' freedom to offer food, conduct poojas in the name of Shri Ram, or provide prasad in Tamil Nadu temples. He expressed disappointment in officeholders like Sitharaman purposefully propagating erroneous information.

The exchange comes in the context of a statement made last week by Udhayanidhi Stalin, son of MK Stalin and DMK leader, expressing disagreement with a temple built after demolishing a mosque. This adds a political dimension to the ongoing discourse between the BJP-led central government and the state government in Tamil Nadu.