Durga Stalin For Kashi Darshan! To Pray For Son’s Elevation As Dy CM!

On December 13, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor at Varanasi and offered puja at the temple complex. The entire ceremony was telecast live on all the news channels, courtesy of the Doordarshan. Many had questioned the live telecast of a religious programme done by the Prime Minister, particularly by the national public broadcaster. Liberals were upset that the corridor itself was being made using ‘tax payers’ money’ by a government of a ‘secular nation’. Nonetheless, the live-streaming of the event had left many Indians across the country quite impressed. Notably, one such person is Durga Stalin, wife of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin. She was so impressed with the idea of a re-developed Kashi temple that she is apparently planning to make a quick visit to Varanasi for darshan. Chennai police is expected to recce the holy city for the VIP visit. Though married into the DMK first family which is committed to the party’s ideology of atheism, Durga is a devout, practising Hindu, who patronises temples. She had visited Kashi to perform the last rites of her late father-in-law M Karunanidhi in 2018. Her urgency to visit Kashi and offer prayers is being linked to a renewed push to elevate their son Udayanidhi as deputy CM. As a mother, Durga must be wishing an auspicious start in office for her son.