Chennai: Chief minister M K Stalin on Sunday reiterated DMK govt’s commitment to protect Hindu temple properties, stating that 8,106 acres of temple lands worth 8,400 crore were retrieved from encroachers. At International Vallalar Conference organized by the Hindu religious and charitable endowments department in Chennai, he said renovation works were carried out in 12,000-odd temples at a cost of 8,100 crore. While the DMK govt was upholding saint Vallalar’s humanitarian philosophy, there are divisive forces which are attempting to distort it, Stalin charged.
“The state would firmly uphold Vallalar’s message of equality and compassion through governance,” he said. Stalin said efforts to ‘paint a different picture of Tamil society’s cultural identity’ would not succeed. Stalin said Vallalar is one of the inspirations for the Dravidian movement. “Vallalar’s teachings rejected caste, religious discrimination and social divisions. These principles formed the ideological foundation of the Dravidian movement and the welfare-oriented Dravidian model govt. DMK govt’s welfare initiatives, from the breakfast scheme in schools to social support programmes for the poor and elderly, reflected Vallalar’s vision of eradicating hunger and suffering,” Stalin said. Stalin made seven announcements including construction of a memorial pillar at Kanchipuram Arulmigu Ekambaranathar matriculation higher secondary school, where the conference was held.
