Existing priests will not be sacked while appointing non-Brahmin priests : DMK Govt

Non-Brahmin priests appointed in Madurai temples

Editorial comments

  • DMK Government is appointing priests of other castes out of hatred towards Brahmins. There are many examples of DMK being anti-Hindu and anti-Brahmin. Therefore, it should not come as a surprise if the Brahmin priests appointed in the temples of the State are sacked !
  • Religious authorities and Saints who have studied Hindu Dharma have the right to decide who should be appointed in temples. Who gave the DMK Government the right to interfere ? Would the Government have made such appointments in Churches and Mosques ?

Chennai – Dravid Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s decision to appoint non-Brahmin priests in temples in Tamil Nadu has sparked controversy. “We have made this decision with a view to delivering social justice”, Stalin told the Legislative Assembly. At the time of appointment of new priests of all castes, none of the priests currently serving in the temple will be sacked and if such a thing happens, action will be taken against the concerned, said Stalin

1. Before CM Stalin, Minister of State for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment (HR&CE) P.K. Sekar Babu had said, ‘Brahmin priests were not targeted. No rules have been violated in the appointment of priests of all castes in all the temples under my purview’.

2. Some Brahmin priests have alleged that their service was abruptly terminated on 16th August and other priests had been appointed in their place. Responding to this allegation, P.K. Sekar Babu said that some Hindutva forces, who do not want other people to go ahead in life, are running such a campaign.

3. In the Meenakshi Amman temples at Madurai, non-Brahmin priests P. Maharajan and S. Arun Kumar have been appointed. They were trained to become a priest in 2007.

4. Of the priests appointed by the Tamil Nadu Government, 24 have undergone training to become priests from the State Government-run centres, while another 34 have undergone such training from other schools.

Varna is not based on caste, but virtues – Dr. Subramanian Swamy

Dr. Subramanian Swamy

‘One who has studied Agam Shastra becomes a Brahmin. Read the Gita to know the concept of Varna. According to Lord Krishna, Varna is not based on caste but on virtues’, Dr. Subramanian Swamy said in a tweet.