"I Had To Fulfil My Granddaughter's Wish": DMK Leader On Vedic Wedding Row

DMK General Secretary Duraimurugan has expressed regret over the Vedic rituals performed at his granddaughter's wedding and urged people not to politicise the matter. He said he had merely fulfilled his granddaughter's wish to have a wedding conducted according to Vedic rituals.Duraimurugan faced criticism after Vedic rituals and chants were performed at the wedding. Dravidar Kazhagam president K Veeramani criticised him over the Vedic chants and questioned his apparent departure from the party's core principles of rationalism and self-respect. TVK leader and Finance Minister Marie Wilson also accused the DMK of double standards.#BREAKING | DMK faces backlash over a Vedic wedding; DMK leader says the issue should not be politicised, adds that he respected his granddaughter's wishes. #DMK #TamilNadu | @reetksahni https://t.co/yRx9KKEN70— NDTV (@ndtv) November 7, 2026Responding to the criticism, Duraimurugan clarified that he had fulfilled his granddaughter's wish to marry according to Vedic rituals."My granddaughter, who studied abroad, told me that she was in love with a person belonging to a different caste and wished to marry him. She also informed me that they intended to get married following Vedic rituals. Accordingly, her marriage was solemnised in accordance with Vedic rituals, as per her wishes. I was in a situation where I had to fulfil my granddaughter's wishes. I also regret the event," Duraimurugan said in his statement.He also appealed to people not to politicise the matter.The DMK, which upholds rationalism as one of its core ideological principles, has traditionally opposed Sanskrit mantras and Vedic rituals at public and private events, including weddings. The party has instead promoted Periyar's self-respect marriages, which emphasise social equality and reject caste-based practices and religious rituals. Duraimurugan, being the DMK's General Secretary, allowing Vedic rituals at a family wedding has now triggered a political controversy.The wedding of Duraimurugan's granddaughter Senthamarai and Deepak Ravi, son of producer Kannan Ravi, was held in Chennai on November 1. Former Chief Minister MK Stalin, actors Dhanush and Sivakarthikeyan, along with several other film personalities, attended the wedding.