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Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Minister Sekar Babu on Tuesday distributed certificates to 94 Archagar and four Oodhuvar students for completing Archagar and Oodhuvar training schools.
Addressing the media at a press conference in Chennai, Sekar Babu said, "All Archagar has been given 1000 rupees, where we have given 12 thousand and more archagars. Today we gave certificates to 96 Oodhuvars, of whom 3 women got certificates." As many as 167 students completed their training through eight Archagar schools, four Oodhuvar schools, three Veda Aagama Syllabus Schools, three Tavil and Nadaswaram training schools, and two Orapanda Vinnaoa Padasalai. "As many as 167 people finished their training, and they will be with the assistant chief priest, said the minister, adding that people from all the castes can become priests, and the students who have received the certificates belong to all the different religions. All caste persons can become priests, is what this shows. 90 per cent of today's course-completed students were from all castes in the Archagar scheme. If any discrimination happens against the certified priests, then action will be taken," he said. "We have already taken a legal step so that all castes can become priests. We have 20 training schools in our TN state where training for Archagar and Oodhuvar is given," he added. On being asked about Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundarajan's remark against MK Stalin that the latter had never visited any temple in the state when Kumbabishegam was performed, Shekar Babu responded, saying, "She is Governor for Puducherry and Telengana. Tamilisai Soundarajan is not a propaganda person for the BJP. She has no moral right to ask this as a governor," he asserted. When asked about the protest called by the BJP on Monday, Sekar Babu said, "The Walk with Annamalai, 'En Man Enmakkal Padayathra', has failed, so the BJP has started this protest now." "Sanadhanam and Samathuvam are two sides of this government. DMK will continue to talk about them both. I am 44 years old, and I have faced many protests like this before. It's just to make our work slow, but we will not. They can't slow our work like this. We will do a huge reformation in temple works in Tamil Nadu," he added. He further went on to say, "TN CM MK Stalin has attended more than 45 Hindu Endowment Department programmes, and he is fully willing to attend events of our department." On Monday, police personnel in large numbers were deployed at the Tamil Nadu Hindu Religions and Charitable Endowment (HR&CE) Office in Chennai after the BJP condemned Sekar Babu for participating in the Anti Sanatan conference that was held in Chennai earlier. This development came after the recent controversy over Tamil Nadu Udhyanidhi Stalin's "eradicate Sanatan Dharma" remark at the 'Abolish Santan Dharma' conference. (ANI)
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