Tweeted Vinayaka idol photo for my daughter: Udhayanidhi

DMK youth wing leader Udhayanidhi Stalin courted political controversy on Monday after he tweeted a photo of his daughter holding a clay idol of Lord Vinayaka.

With critics accusing him of deviating from the DMK’s rationalist ideology, he later clarified that he had posted the photo — past midnight on Monday — as per his daughter’s wish.

In his statement, Mr. Udhayanidhi said neither he nor his wife had faith in God. “Everyone knows that my mother has faith in God. We have a pooja room with the pictures of our ancestors and my mother’s favourite Gods. When we take important decisions we stand before our ancestors’ photos,” he said.

According to him, his daughter had liked the idol bought by his mother Durga for Vinayaka Chaturthi. When his daughter asked how the idol was made, he had explained that it was made of clay and would be immersed in water after the pooja. “She wondered why it should be immersed in the water. I told her that it was the practice and that a new idol would be bought next year,” he said.

The DMK youth wing leader said those who were not ready to discuss his “stringent criticism against the fascist-BJP rule and its slave government in Tamil Nadu” had launched a discussion on the tweeted photograph. Mr. Udhayanidhi said when there were a lot of serious issues, opportunists had sought to turn the issue against the DMK.