DMK patriarch and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi said on Monday that his party would never attempt to impose its principles or policies on others. Likewise, it would never accept imposition of policies and principles of others on it.

In a statement here, he said the DMK wanted those in power to realise their responsibilities and refrain from imposing their views on others.

He was obviously referring to charges that he had hurt the sentiments of Hindus by his anti-Rama remarks. He said, it was during his tenure as the chief minister that the temple car at Tiruvarur was run after a gap of 25 years.

His government had not banned any festival or religious ritual in temples. After the DMK government took over in May 2006, Kumbabhishekams(consecrations) had been performed at 1,493 temples across the state, the statement claimed.

He stated that his party would not have objected even if Adam’s bridge bore the name of Ramar Sethu right from the beginning and the Sethusamudram project was named ‘Ramar Shipping Channel.’

Pointing out that names of places like Rameshwaram and Ramanathapuram still remained, he said that the sculpture of Lord Rama’s feet at Kodiakarai in Vedaranyam had not been touched or damaged during his regime.

“Many projects are being implemented across Krishna, Shanmugha and Brahmaputra rivers. Has anyone objected to them as the rivers bear the names of God? The Chennai city is getting drinking water from Krishna river. Have we said no to it?” He asked.

Citing the opposition AIADMK’s election manifesto released in 2001, Mr Karunanidhi said the party had suggested that the Sethusamudram project should be implemented by removing shoals and rocks at Adam’s Bridge.

“Now, if Jayalalitha says that the Ramar Sethu should not be demolished, it only means that the words are being uttered for the sake of BJP,” he said.

Karunanidhi said the people of Tamil Nadu would understand that Jayalalithaa was opposing the project, as she did not want it to be implemented during the tenure of Congress government at the Centre and DMK government in the state.