TN’s BJP President picks up points for politicking during recent visit

It seems Tamil Nadu's Bharathiya Janatha Party ( BJP) President K. Annamalai who was invited by the Ceylon Workers Congress ( CWC) to take part in its May Day rally, picked up a couple of points for politicking back at home.

Opposing the TN government’s decision of involving itself in running religious places including Hindu temples with dedicated trustee councils, the regional BJP president gave an example from Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil in Jaffna, following his visit to the temple this week.

The BJP President opposed any state involvement in running religious shrines. He said there is one single family- run- trustee of the historic Nallur temple and pointed out that efficient practices have been in place for decades.

The minimum monetary donation to Nallur temple is still one rupee and there is no VIP treatment for anyone including any Head of State to engage in poojas, unlike in certain temples in Tamil Nadu where special ticket prices were introduced for VIPs.

He also asked why the same cannot be implemented in TN temples as well. Responding to the rhetoric of the regional BJP president, a local devotee said the Nallur temple was not setup based on Vedha prescriptions, so it can be run accordingly, while most Hindu temples are run by trustee boards with generous donations from people.