“To worship is my constitutional right,” Tamil Nadu BJP chief L Murugan has said.
Chennai:
A day after the Tamil Nadu government denied the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) permission to hold a “Vetri Vel Yatra” (Victorious Spear March), the party today said it will proceed with the event whatsoever.
Tamil Nadu BJP President, L Murugan, headed for the Thiruttani Murugan Temple in Thiruvallur district, adjacent to Chennai, where the Yatra was originally scheduled to begin today according to the BJP’s plan.
“I have a right to offer prayers at the temple. To worship is my constitutional right,” Mr Murugan said.
The Tamil Nadu police have said they will detain any BJP leaders or worker associating with the event at Thiruvallur.
The Tamil Nadu government had informed the Madras High Court on Thursday that the Vetri Vel Yatra, planned from November 6 to December 6, won’t be allowed given the COVID-19 situation in the state.
The event is conceptualised in honour of Lord Murugan known for his “Vel” or spear.
December 6, the day the Vel Yatra was scheduled to end at the Thiruchendur Murugan Temple in Thoothukudi district in the southern part of the state, marks the anniversary of the demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992, which itself took place at the end of a nationwide Rath Yatra organised by the BJP under senior leader LK Advani.
The BJP had called the Vetri Vel Yatra a mission to expose what it called an “anti-Hindu” narrative and “minority appeasement” in the state.
This is the third time the ruling AIADMK has snubbed its ally, the BJP, after the tie-up ended in a near rout in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. In September, the state government denied the BJP permission for idol immersion during Vinyagar Chathurthi celebrations. Recently, the state government issued an executive order ensuring 7.5% reservation for government school students when the BJP-appointed Governor delayed signing a bill for this.
