Tamil Nadu: BJP protest Against Minister Sekar Babu’s participation in ‘Anti Sanatan’ Conference

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], September 11 (ANI): Police were deployed at the Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment (HR&CE) Office at Chennai ahead of the BJP siege announcement across Tamil Nadu condemning HR&CE Minister Sekar Babu for participating in the ‘Anti Sanatan’ conference that was held at Chennai earlier.

More than 20 police officers have been deployed and barricades have been placed before the HR & CE Chennai Office, police officials said. 

This comes after the recent controversy over Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin’s ‘Anti Sanatan’ remark. 

The BJP claimed that Minister Sekar Babu, who heads the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department, participated in the conference on Sanatan Dharma, where Udhayanidhi went on an explosive rant, thereby violating his oath of office.

The protest will be led by the BJP’s state president, K Annamalai. Similar protests will also be held across the state, demanding that the offices of the Hindu Charitable Department be blocked in all the districts of Tamil Nadu.

Earlier, a controversy broke out after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin’s son, Udhayanidhi, addressing the ‘Santana Abolition Conference’ said, “Uprooting Sanatan Dharma is upholding humanity and human equality. He also compared Sanatan Dharma to diseases like dengue, malaria, or the Coronavirus and said, “Few things cannot be opposed; those should be abhorred only. We cannot oppose dengue, mosquitoes, malaria, or corona; we have to eradicate them. That’s how we eradicate Sanatana. Rather than opposing Sanatana, it should be eradicated.”

Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment Department organised a mass marriage event in Chennai, where 20 couples tied the Mangal Sutra knot in a Chennai Marriage hall. 

All newly married couples were to be given essential things for their livelihood, like vessels, stoves, beds, cots, and stoves, which were given free to them by the Hindu Endowment Department. 

At the event Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma. Subramanian praised Sekar Babu’s handling of the HR&CE minisry ” I appreciate our CM who rightly gave the Hindu Endowment department to sekarbabu. Babu is a devotee and he never misses temple devotion and can never been without Kumkum (Sacred holy ash) on his forehead. He will be a great minister in this Hindu Endowment department.”

The praise from Subramaniam is seen as an endorsement from the State government for a minister facing the ire of Hindu organisations.