Tamil Nadu BJP raises Ayodhya Mandapam issue in Assembly, Stalin says fight for issues affecting poor

Tamil Nadu BJP MLAs raised the issue of government taking over Ayodhya Mandapam, a place of worship. Chief Minister MK Stalin claimed that the decision to take over Mandapam was taken after complaints of mismanagement.

Ruckus ensued after BJP MLA Vanathi Srinivasan raised the issue of Ayodhya Mandapam in Tamil Nadu Assembly on Tuesday. The issue pertains to the takeover of the Ayodhya Mandapam, a public temple by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department of the Tamil Nadu government.

BJP cadres led by Karu Nagarajan protested against the move and were detained. State BJP chief Annamalai condemned the incident and alleged that DMK government took over Mandapam to make sure that no bhajans or satsangs happened there. BJP also claimed that state had no right to take over Ayodhya Mandapam as it was not a temple.

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Chief Minister MK Stalin claimed that the decision was taken after continuous complaints of mismanagement in Ayodhya Mandapam. According to government, Ayodhya Mandapam is a public temple as there is a collection of offerings from public through hundial.

Stalin then asked BJP MLAs to fight for the issue which affects the poor.

Stalin said, “Petrol and diesel prices are still on the rise. We are urging the Centre to bring it down. We went to Delhi to seek funds that are supposed to be released to the state. Please support us in getting those funds. Work for what makes our state strong. If you try to play politics just to make your party stronger, it will not happen.”