CHENNAI: Days after DMK chief MK Stalin urged the state

government

to conduct consecration of the Thanjavur big temple in accordance with Tamil culture and tradition, the state government on Tuesday constituted a 21-member high-level committee to look into the issue and also monitor the overall arrangements of the event.

Chief secretary

will be the chairman of the committee, while additional chief secretaries of various departments, the director-general of police and director of fire and rescue services would be the members. Thanjavur collector would be the convenor of the committee.

Reliable sources said that the appeal made by the DMK leader and outfits like Thanjai Periya Koil Urimai Meetpukuzh would be placed before the committee for consideration. It would take the final call. Meantime, a communication from commissioner office of the Hindu Religious and Chartable Endowment (HR & CE) stated that the consecration held in 1980 and 1997 as per Agamas and adhered to the tradition and urged the government to maintain the status quo in the forthcoming kumbabishekam on February 5.

“The government under chief ministers

(1980) and M Karunanidhi (1997) had stuck to the tradition,” said an official in HR & CE.

The DMK leader’s plea has kicked a political storm and landed the Edappadi K Palaniswami government in yet another tough situation. While Tamil outfits and scholars are campaigning to do away with Sanskrit and switch over to the consecration in Tamil, the religious and right wing forces condemn it. BJP leaders have strongly opposed the DMK leader’s plea to bring in change to the ancient practice and rituals in the world famous temple.