DMK leader and Tamil Nadu Law Minister S Regupathy called Lord Ram as the forerunner of Dravidian model. His statement invited a sharp reaction from the state opposition BJP.
While speaking at an event organised by Kamban Kazhagam on Monday, the DMK leader said that Lord Ram was a protector of social justice.
At the event, Regupathy said, “Before Periyar, Annadurai, Chief Minister MK Stalin and former Chief Minister Kalaignar (M Karunanidhi), it was Ram, the protector of social justice, who took forward the Dravidian model. Ram was the only hero who preached secularism and social justice to the world. Ram was the only hero who said that all are equal.”
He further said that the Ramayana was created to make sure that a society without inequality is created in the future.
The Tamil Nadu Law Minister also stated that if he gets a chance, he would like to visit the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
In response to the minister’s statement at the event, the Bharatiya Janata Party said that it was absurd for him to compare Ram Rajya with the DMK run-Dravidian government.
Releasing a statement, the Tamil Nadu BJP said, “DMK’s Dravidian model government is not like Rama’s kingdom. The DMK model is similar to Ravana’s kingdom. It is funny and laughable, that the DMK party which claims that it is fighting to abolish Sanatana Dharma, compares its governance to Rama Rajya.”
The BJP was referred to the remarks by state minister and DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin, which he made last year. Back in 2023, while speaking at a conference in Chennai, Udhayanidhi compared ‘Sanatana Dharma’ with “malaria and dengue” and said that it should be ‘eradicated’.