Creating a ruffle within the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), the party’s MLA and secretary of its minority wing offered Rs 11,000 as a donation towards the construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. S Masthan, an MLA from the Gingee Assembly constituency in Tamil Nadu, said that he donated the money as his long-term friend asked him for the donation. Speaking to the media, he also said that he has contributed money for the construction of different temples several times and believes in the principle of ‘one god, one religion’.
Incidentally, DMK has been opposed to the construction of the Ram Mandir. Party President MK Stalin had earlier alleged that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had failed to prove the conspiracy in the Babri Masjid demolition case. As per reports, the MLA Masthan's act did not go down well with other DMK leaders. Some DMK allies have also reportedly expressed their objection to this issue.
The Ram temple fund collection will last till February 27. It is initiated by Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, as directed by the Supreme Court.
Incidentally, former DMK chief and five-time Chief Minister M Karunanidhi had strongly opposed the demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992. The party had protests condemning the Ram Rath Yathra led by LK Advani. He even condemned the Union government for not acting in time and preventing “the dastardly act.”
He was also opposed to the concept of Ramar Palam or Ram Setu (Adam’s Bridge). In 2007, when the Sethusamudram Shipping Canal was proposed to be constructed between India and Sri Lanka, many Hindu groups had objected to it, claiming it would harm Ram Setu (Adam’s Bridge), a mythical bridge built by an army of monkeys to help Lord Ram go to Lanka and bring back his wife Sita. At the time, in a controversial speech, Karunanidhi had asked, "Who is Raman? Ram is a lie. In which engineering college did he studied and is there proof that he constructed a bridge?"
However, according to S Masthan, Karunanidhi was not against any religion. “In his script for the movie Parasakthi, Kalaignar (Karunanidhi) said that the party is not against any religion or temple,” he said. The Gingee MLA also quoted DMK founder CN Annadurai’s principle of ‘Ondre Kulam Oruvane Devan’ (one religion and one god).