The Muruga Bakthargalin Manadu (Murugan Devotees’ Conference) in Madurai.
Credit: X/@vinod_bansal
Chennai: AIADMK’s participation at the Muruga Bakthargalin Manadu (Murugan Devotees’ Conference) in Madurai organised by Hindu Munnani on June 22 during which Dravidian legends E V R Periyar and C N Annadurai were criticised led to a strong reaction from the DMK which asked whether the former has replaced “Anna with Amit Shah” in the party’s name.
Though the conference was dubbed as “spiritual”, BJP leaders and Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan who spoke at the event made blatant political statements asking Hindus of Tamil Nadu to unite and vote wisely.
AIADMK, an ally of the BJP, was represented by senior leader R B Udayakumar, Sellur K Raju, Kadambur Raju, and Rajendra Balaji with general secretary Palaniswami sending his wishes for the conference.
In a statement on Monday, DMK organising secretary R S Bharathi tore into the AIADMK seeking to know whether it was important for them to protect their properties rather than “saving” Annadurai’s name by keeping mum when a video played at the conference criticised Periyar and Anna.
“Is it AIADMK blood that runs in your veins or affection for the BJP? Would you have remained silent if someone had criticised your family members?” Bharathi asked.
He also questioned the participation of AIADMK leaders in the conference whose organisers had printed posters demanding eradication of Dravidianism.
“What would have happened if MGR and Jayalalithaa were alive today? Due to the lack of a strong leadership, the AIADMK has brought this disgrace upon Anna and Periyar,” Bharathi asked.
Mines Minister S Regupathy alleged that Palaniswami and AIADMK men have forgotten that the words Anna and Dravidam still remain in their party’s name and accused them of being subservient to the BJP for the fear of against its “corrupt leaders.”
The DMK, which has been highly critical of the conference calling it as a blatant attempt to communalise “peaceful” Tamil Nadu, also asked the AIADMK to explain why it didn’t protest against the insult to the legends at the conference, while it used former state chief K Annamalai’s attack against Anna in 2023 as an excuse to quit NDA.
“Do you know the person in white pointing a finger in the centre of your flag? It is Annadurai. Have you replaced Anna with Amit Shah?" he asked and criticised another senior leader S P Velumani for participating in an event organised by RSS in Coimbatore on Monday.
In his response, Velumani said he participated in the function as he was invited by a Shaivite mutt in Perur in Coimbatore and asked the DMK not to spread canards.
In a separate clarification, the AIADMK said its MLAs participated in the Murugan conference as “devotees” and that the party doesn’t subscribe to any of the resolutions passed at the meeting nor it endorses criticism against Dravidian legends.
Bharathi reminded the AIADMK that its founder MGR had condemned the Hindu Munnani in the 1980s and asked whether the rallies that they hold in the name of Hindus benefit the nation.
“Palaniswami, general secretary of the AIADMK which carries the name Dravidam, extends greetings to this conference aimed at destroying Dravidianism and ministers who rose through Dravidianism attend it. Don’t they realize that if Dravidianism is destroyed, AIADMK will perish too? Has ADMK fallen so deep into a ruined well?” he asked.
“Tamil Nadu is the only land in India that denies space to BJP’s communal” politics. Despite BJP’s many tricks to infiltrate with riotous intent, they face utter failure. The reason is the Dravidian movement… people of Tamil Nadu will put an end to Palaniswami’s treachery in the 2026 elections,” he added.