DK protest plan irks Hindu outfits

The Dravidar Kazhagam’s decision to hold a ‘thali’ removing celebration ( thali agatrum vizha ) in Chennai on Tamil New Year’s day has not gone down well with Hindutva outfits, which have called the idea a deliberate attempt to hurt religious feelings.

While some of these organisations are mulling a counter campaign, the BJP too has come out strongly against the DK on the issue.

Speaking to

The Hindu , BJP State president Tamilisai Soundararajan said that while the DK has been conducting such campaigns for decades, the timing of the current one was deliberate.

“Coming right after the controversy surrounding a TV news channel on the ‘thali’ issue, this is a deliberate attempt at provoking people,” she charged.

Choosing the Tamil New Year’s day, considered auspicious by the people , for such an agitation was even more unfortunate, she said. “The ‘thali’ is not just a religious symbol. It involves the sentiment of crores of women across religious faiths, who consider it sacred. We condemn the DK in the strongest possible terms,” Ms. Soundararajan said.

Over the week, social media pages of Hindutva outfits were full of references to the DK’s protest idea, with some calling for a coordinated political response to counter the event.

Addressing a public meeting last week, DK president K. Veeramani announced that the thali agatrum vizha followed by a beef-eating feast would be arranged at the Periyar Thidal in Chennai on April 14, which was also the birth anniversary of B.R. Ambedkar.

“I dare those who stopped the channel from broadcasting that show on ‘thali’ to stop us,” he said, inviting all like-minded people to participate.