Chennai: Chief Minister M K Stalin has said there was no violation in the appointment of people of all castes as archakas (priests) in the temples administered by the HR and CE department.
Intervening during the debate on the budget in the State Assembly, he said it was late Chief Minister M Karunanidhi who had enacted a law to appoint people of all castes as archakas.
However, due to some reason or other, it could not be implemented. “Now we have implemented it and appointment orders were issued,” he pointed out.
Stalin said, however, some people, who could not digest this, were spreading baseless rumours in the social media to scuttle it (appointing people of all castes as archakas).
Asserting that no where the existing priests were removed and appointment orders issued to new archakas, the Chief Minister said if any such incident had taken place and if proper proof was given, the government would definitely take necessary action.
Earlier, HR and CE Minister P K Sekar Babu, intervening on the issue, stoutly denied the charges that Brahmin priests were selectively targeted while appointing fresh batch of archakas.
“All the 58 persons appointed as archakas are duly qualified and there is no violation as alleged by some priests,” he said.