A video showing a man expressing his objections to ‘Bhoomi-Pujan’ is going viral across social media. The video is being shared with the claim that it shows an incident from Karnataka under the new Congress rule.
Claim:
In the beginning of the video, we can see a man arriving with a group of people at the banks of a lake. Arrangements have been made for a religious ceremony as per Hindu customs. A Hindu priest is also present there. The man could be seen questioning a government official present there. The man asks in Tamil whether they were aware that a government event should not involve prayers from only one particular religion.
A user named Dev Gaur shared the video with the caption in Hindi, “This leader is angry because the PWD officer called only a Pandit for Bhoomi Pujan, not a pastor or Maulavi. This is Karnataka under Congress rule.”
Fact Check:
We conducted a keyword search and came across a report by The News Minute published on 17 July 2022. The report is titled, “DMK MP opposes only Hindu puja at govt event, says all faiths must be represented.”
As per The News Minute report, DMK MP S. Senthilkumar was called for the unveiling the foundation stone program for the renovation of a lake in Tamil Nadu. During this time, he had objected to worship by the Hindu pundit at the venue, and called for the representative of all religions. At the same time, he told the officials of the PWD department present there clearly that worship of any particular religion should not be conducted in any government.
As per the report, DMK MP also said “Where are the representatives of another religion? Where is Muslim or Christian? Also invite the Father and Imam of the Church. Also call atheists or people who do not believe in religion.”
We also found that the video was uploaded on the Twitter account of S. Senthikumar on July 16, 2022.
He also uploaded the same video with a caption in Hindi as well, while writing, “I’m speaking for inclusion and equality. India is a secular nation.”
In a BBC Tamil report published on July 16, 2022, titled, ‘Hindu ritual in Dravidian model rule?’ DMK MP S Senthilkumar had arrived at the foundation stone program of the restoration of Alapuram Lake in district. The event was organized on behalf of the Public Works Department (PWD).
As soon as MP S. Senthilkumar reached the program, he criticized it for organizing the religious ceremony Bhumi Pujan in the government program. He also asked the officials present there why this is being done despite the ban on religious ceremonies in government programs. Senthilkumar asked why Christian, Muslim or atheist representatives have not been called to the event and also asked to remove the objects brought for the worship there.
While speaking to the BBC, S. Senthilkumar said, “I have repeatedly insisted that a particular religion in government programs should not be carried out. I am out of the festivities where such a pooja was organized. This is a focus because the noclass has come on Twitter. Every once in a while, I have asked why other religions are not invited and why they should embrace a particular religion.”
Conclusion:
We found that the video shows a objection raised by DMK MP S. Senthilkumar to Hindu religious practices at an event without the inclusion of other religious beliefs. The incident took place in July 2022 and is entirely unrelated to the Congress’ win in the Karnataka Elections.
If you have any news that you believe needs to be fact-checked, please email us at factcheck@thelogicalindian.com or WhatsApp at 6364000343.
https://thelogicalindian.com/h-upload/2023/05/27/500x300_231831-new-project-2023-05-27t155214602.webp
Fact Check
2023-05-27 12:03:08.0
Video Of DMK Leader Objecting To Bhoomi Pujan Connected Misleadingly With Congress Karnataka Win
