nSaffron is a dirty colour and anything associated with it was not welcome in Tamil Nadu, according to the ruling AIADMK. The entire political spectrum in Tamil Nadu, barring the BJP, were unanimous in condemning the action of ‘anti-social elements’ draping the statue of late Chief Minister M G Ramachandran’s statue at Puducherry with saffron shawl.

On Thursday, another group of unidentified persons draped the statue of late DMK leader and former Chief Minister C N Annadurai with saffron shawl at Kanyakumari. This too was condemned by the leader of all political parties barring the BJP. Last week a statue of Dravida Kazhakam founder EV Ramasami Naicker at Coimbatore was painted in saffron and one person belonging to a fringe Hindu group has been arrested.

Interestingly, leaders of the AIADMK and the DMK used the word desecration to describe the action of draping/painting the statues of the Dravidian leaders in saffron. While the AIADMK did not directly blame the BJP for the ‘desecration’, all other parties were in the forefront to attack the Hindutwa party.

Vaiko, the leader of the MDMK, put up a heart-rending show at Coimbatore where he sobbed for an hour in front of the Naicker statue and swore in the name of the latter that he would ensure the destruction of the evil forces behind the action.

The BJP, upset over the reaction of the AIADMK, condemned the Dravidian ‘elements’ for humiliating and insulting Skanda Shashti Kavasam, a hymn in praise of Lord Muruga. An organisation Group of Blacks had hosted a programme in the social media portraying Skanda Shasti Kavasam as obscene and they even aired an obscene parody which read like the

Kavasam.

“This was done with the tacit support of the DMK and other Dravida elements in the State. The chief minister or the deputy chief minister did not utter a single word though the action of the Group of Blacks amounted to blasphemy,” said Narayanan Tiruppati, BJP spokesman.    

Chief Minister Palaniswami, of late, has been regularly condemning the Centre for not helping the State in the time of Coronavirus pandemic and this has given rise to possibilities of a break-up in the AIADMK-BJP alliance.