DMK Leader's Granddaughter Opts For Vedic Ritual Wedding; Dravidian Allies’ Frenzy Forces A Clarification

A wave of controversy has erupted after DMK Secretary Duraimurugan performed Vedic rituals at his granddaughter's wedding. The leader urged people not to politicise the matter. He said he had merely fulfilled his granddaughter's wish to have a wedding conducted according to Vedic rituals.

Duraimurugan faced backlash after Vedic rituals and chants were performed at the wedding. Dravidar Kazhagam President K. Veeramani questioned his apparent departure from the party's core principles of rationalism and self-respect, while TVK leader and Finance Minister Marie Wilson accused the DMK of double standards

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How did Duraimurugan respond?

Responding to the controversy, Duraimurugan said that his granddaughter who studied abroad had fallen in love with a person of a different caste. She urged him to perform her wedding ceremony in accordance with the Vedic rituals. “I was in a situation where I had to fulfil my granddaughter's wishes. I also regret the event," Duraimurugan said in his statement. The DMK leader has urged people not to make it a political issue.

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Why was the Backlash Faced?

The DMK upholds rationalism as one of its core ideological principles and has opposed Sanskrit mantras and Vedic rituals at public and private events, including weddings. The party has instead promoted Periyar's self-respect marriages, which focus on social equality and reject caste-based practices and religious rituals. Duraimurugan, being the DMK's General Secretary, allowing Vedic rituals at a family wedding has now triggered a political controversy.

The wedding of Duraimurugan's granddaughter Senthamarai and Deepak Ravi, son of producer Kannan Ravi, was held in Chennai on November 1. Former Chief Minister MK Stalin, actors Dhanush and Sivakarthikeyan, along with several other film personalities, attended the wedding.