Chennai: Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Minister Ramesh has issued a sharp rebuttal to former DMK minister Shekhar Babu, amid a war of words over the department’s functioning.
Shekhar Babu had alleged that Minister Ramesh was inexperienced, accused him of threatening officials, and said he spoke in a rash manner.
Responding in an interview, Ramesh said he was indeed “half-informed” as claimed—because, according to him, only part of the alleged corruption and irregularities during the DMK’s tenure in the HR&CE department had come to light so far. He added that Shekhar Babu should be ready to respond once the full details are known.
Ramesh further said he had “little experience” in looting temple money, committing irregularities, or causing administrative disorder, and insisted he was not willing to learn such practices. He also questioned how asking officials to speed up work could be termed a threat.
The minister claimed that several temple donors had told him that during the previous DMK rule, completing even a single task would involve so many issues that people would regret initiating it, whereas now work was being completed faster. He also alleged that Shekhar Babu may have intimidated donors and recorded videos, adding that he did not have such a habit.
