Atheists M Karunanidhi, Vaiko to file nomination on ‘auspicious’ April 25

Dravidian leaders have ridiculed believers in God, even often accusing them of practising superstition only to consolidate the grip of the upper caste over the downtrodden in the name of God.

But on April 25, most of the prominent Dravidian stalwarts will be filing their nomination papers for this Assembly election. The reason is April 25 is a very auspicious day, it being a muhurtham day. The Tamil calendar says April 25 is one of the very few muhurtham days in the first month of the Tamil year dhurmugi.

DMK chief M. Karunanidhi, who has been at the forefront of the Dravidian movement along with its stalwarts like Periyar and C.N. Annadurai, will file his nomination before the revenue divisional officer in Tiruvarur on Monday, while another “Dravidian atheist”, Vaiko, will submit his papers before the RDO at Kovilpatti in Tuticorin district.

The decision by Mr Karunanidhi and Mr Vaiko to file nominations on April 25 will lead to criticism that they also choose auspicious time and day to file their nomination papers despite calling themselves products of the Dravidian movement. AIADMK supremo J. Jayalalithaa too will file her nomination papers on April 25, but then she has never been shy in proclaiming her faith in God and in auspicious days. The chief minister always chooses auspicious days for beginning her campaign and filing of her nomination papers.