Tamil Nadu State Transport Minister SS Sivasankar’s remarks that there is no evidence to prove the existence of Hindu deity Lord Ram has triggered a row. He made the remark while speaking at an event in Ariyalur on the birth anniversary of emperor Rajendra Chola. Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief K Annamalai criticised the comment by pointing out that DMK Law Minister S Regupathy had earlier declared that Ram was “the ultimate champion of social justice, the pioneer of secularism, and the one who proclaimed equality for all."
Speaking at the event, Sivasankar said, “We must celebrate the birthday anniversary of our great ruler Rajendra Chola, who made our land proud. We should celebrate his birthday, or else we might be forced to celebrate something that has no connection to us.”
He further continued, “To show that Rajendra Chola lives on, there are ponds constructed by him, temples built by him, and his name is mentioned in scripts, sculptures, and other artefacts. We have history and evidence for it, but there is no evidence or historical record of Lord Ram's existence. They call him [Ram] an avatar. An avatar can't be born. It is being done to manipulate us, hide our history, and present another history as superior.”
The Minister then went on to say that DMK supremo M Karunanidhi had unveiled statues and memorials for Tamil saint Thiruvalluvar, and the CM MK Stalin is celebrating the birthday of Rajendra Chola.
On July 21, Minister Regupathy was speaking at an event in Pudukottai when he said, “Kambaramayanam, or Rama Kaaviyam, was written with the excellent goal of creating a society without any inequalities. We should bear this in mind. This might be different for some people. But the good concepts should be taken and appreciated. When we saw this from a different perspective, we saw that it aligns with our Dravidian model. So we are bringing him as the pioneer of Dravidian model. Before Thanthai Periyar, Perarignar Anna, Dr Ambedkar, Thalaivar Kalaignar and today, before our thalaivar thalapathy, Lord rama pioneered social justice and equality. Nobody can reject this.”
Referring to this statement, BJP president Annamalai said, “It's almost comical that the DMK, a party that seems to think Tamil Nadu's history started in 1967, has suddenly discovered a love for the nation's rich culture and history. Perhaps it's time for DMK Ministers Thiru Raghupathy and Thiru Shiva Shankar to sit down, debate, and reach a consensus on Lord Ram. We're confident that Thiru Shiva Shankar could learn a thing or two about Bhagwan Shri Ram from his colleague. Jai Shri Ram!”