Even as he continues to wait for an apology from Poet Vairamuthu for his remarks on Andal, Sadagopa Ramanuja Jeeyar of the Srivilliputhur Andal temple has ‘apologised’ to Goddess Andal for threatening violence.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, the Jeeyar said, “Everyone is agonized in their hearts that a sanyasi, ascetic and a Jeeyar has spoken like this. We have apologized to Mother Andal for what we have spoken.”
The pontiff of the Srivilliputhur Andal temple had raked up a storm on Friday with his comments, following which several prominent figures cutting across party lines had demanded an apology.
The comments were made at a meeting of Hindu godmen organised by the Hindu Dharma Vizhipunarvu Iyakkam on Friday, demanding a public apology from Vairamuthu, in addition to their pending request that he fall at the feet of the Andal deity at Srivilliputhur.
Poet and lyricist Vairamuthu kicked up a massive controversy when he gave a speech on the Alvar saint Andal, titled ‘Tamizhai Aandaal’ in Srivilliputhur earlier in January. The speech was reproduced in the Tamil daily, Dinamani. Vairamuthu had quoted a researcher, who in turn had said, “Andal herself is a Devadasi who lived and died in the Sri Rangam Temple.”
However, not all were pleased with this apology. According to one report, the DMK was unconvinced with this apology and demanded that the Jeeyar apologize to the people of the state. Senior DMK leader and Member of Parliament TKS Elangovan reportedly said that the Jeeyar should apologise to the people of Tamil Nadu and not to the deity.
Speaking to one Tamil news channel, TKS Elangovan asked, "If he has apologized then, to whom has he apologized? He has to apologise to those whose hearts he has hurt. We are not demanding that Vairamuthu apologize at a public place. But he(Jeeyar) has to apologise to the Tamil people for the words he has used. That is how it should be. It is unclear if he has done this.”