Hindu outfits plan to stall ‘thaali removal’ event, beef feast in TN

Hindu outfits in Tamil Nadu are planning to stall a “thaali (mangalsutra) removal” event and a beef feast, being organised by Dravidar Kazhagam (DK) on April 14 — a month after a popular TV channel was attacked for a debate on the relevance of the sacred thread.

The event is being organised in protest of the petrol bomb attack at the office of Puthiya Thalamurai TV by a little known saffron outfit, Hindu Illaignar Sena, on March 12.

To prevent DK from organising the event, saffron activists have threatened to lay siege to the party headquarters, Periyar Thidal, in Chennai and tear off the portrait of E V R Periyar, who started the ‘self-respect’ movement.

Arjun Sampath, leader of Hindu Makkal Katchi, said D K was trying to “tarnish” the Tamil culture. “April 14 is the Tamil New year, an auspicious day which is being observed in many other states, including Punjab. Their decision to organise thaali removal and beef feast function on that day is to stir up unnecessary troubles. Thaali is a crucial part of our belief. Also households conduct pujas on that day revering cows. So definitely we will stop Dravidar Kazhagam from organising the event as their intention is to hurt sentiments of the majority,” he told The Indian Express.

Sampath said, “We will also organise special mangalya pujas and gomatha pujas on that day.”

However, K Veeramani, president of DK, remained unmoved. Veeramani said: “We will definitely go ahead with what we have planned. We are gathering to discuss the relevance of thaali, and there may be a clash of ideologies when we organise such a programme. But if somebody wants to physically stop us, let the police handle it.”

DK is of the view that thaali was neither part of the eight kinds of marriages mentioned in the vedas nor the Tamil culture. At the event, women cadres and sympathisers of the party are expected remove their thaalis at Periyar Thidal.

Source:: Indian Express