Tamilisai Soundararajan Condemns Detention of RSS Workers in Tamil Nadu School Incident

Tamil Nadu BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan (File).

Chennai:

Former Tamil Nadu Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan criticized the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government on Thursday following the detention of approximately 50 Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh workers. The RSS members were detained for conducting a 'guru puja' and 'shakha' training session at a state-operated school in Porur, near Chennai, without obtaining necessary police permission.

According to police sources who spoke to NDTV, the school's headmaster filed a complaint after RSS members entered the premises without authorization, resulting in their detainment. Sources indicated that a case would be registered against them.

Soundararajan lambasted Chief Minister MK Stalin's administration for allegedly failing to maintain law and order in the state. She questioned the detention of RSS workers, stating: "There is no law and order in Tamil Nadu. The government turns a blind eye to anti-social activities while RSS workers conducting their programme without any sensation were arrested."

She emphatically condemned the arrests, describing it as reflective of the "mindset of the DMK government." She accused the administration of encouraging separatist activities and called for the immediate release of the workers, noting that it was "an auspicious day."

The former Governor personally met with the detained RSS workers to express moral support and discussed the reasons for their arrest with the police officers involved.

Political tensions in Tamil Nadu are escalating ahead of next year's Assembly election. The traditional contest between the two major Dravidian parties—the DMK (allied with Congress) and AIADMK (aligned with BJP)—will now include actor-politician Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), which will make its electoral debut in 2026.

Law and order has emerged as a significant political issue in the state, particularly in Chennai, following several high-profile rape and sexual assault cases, including an incident at the prestigious Anna University in the city center.

Other contentious issues include the 'Hindi imposition' controversy that erupted earlier this year regarding the three-language formula proposed in the new National Education Policy.

The RSS 'puja' at the Tamil Nadu government school was held as part of the organization's centenary celebrations. During his address earlier today, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat emphasized that differences between groups and communities should be expressed within legal boundaries.

Bhagwat's speech on 'unity in diversity' in India followed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks yesterday, in which the Prime Minister warned that "threats from infiltrators causing demographic shifts" posed "risks to social harmony and internal security."