LS delimitation may raise hopes of having many kids but give Tamil names to children says Stalin

    Chennai, Oct 21 (PTI) The Lok Sabha delimitation exercise may make people to think about raising "16 children," Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin said on Monday, alluding to a Tamil saying on 16 kinds of wealth but insisted that one should give Tamil names to their kids.
    He was alluding to a Tamil saying "pathinarum petru peru vazhvu vazhga," meaning acquire 16 different kinds of wealth and lead a prosperous life, while referring to the census and delimitation process which will redraw the electoral map of India.
    Stalin said newly wedded couples may give up the idea of begetting few children now.
    "The Parliament delimitation process may encourage the couples to have many children and give up thoughts of a small family. But whatever be the outcome, provide Tamil names to your children," the CM said after solemnising the marriages of 31 couples at a function held under the aegis of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments department here.
    In the past, the elders used to bless newly married couples to acquire 16 kinds of wealth (pathinarum petru peru vazhvu vazhga) including fame, education, lineage, wealth, etc., and not 16 children. Gradually, people have come to believe in raising a small family for prosperity, he said.
    "That blessing doesn't mean beget 16 children… now a situation has arisen where people think they should now literally raise 16 children and not a small and prosperous family," Stalin said.
    On the numerous achievements of the HR & CE department, he said during the last three years, 2,226 temples have been renovated and consecration performed. Renovation has been carried out in 10,238 temples, too, and effective steps ensured in the department retrieving 7,069 acres of temple lands, valued at Rs 6,792 crore, from encroachments, he said.
    Several other welfare measures undertaken by the department evoked the spontaneous appreciation of the devotees but some people who used bhakti to do politics would not bear this.
    "Our policy is not against temples, but our aim is not to allow temples to become a den for criminals," Stalin said, quoting a popular dialogue from the Tamil film 'Parasakthi', scripted by his father and late Chief Minister M Karunanidhi.
    He said the state government won favourable verdicts in cases relating to the appointment of priests of all castes in temples, chanting Tamil hymns in shrines, and performing consecration of temples in the Tamil language.
    The DMK government regarded all religions equally, and this egalitarian approach was the Dravidian model of governance, the chief minister added.
    Ministers: P K Sekar Babu and K Ponmudy, Chennai Mayor R Priya, and officials participated.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)