NEW DELHI: Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) general secretary Duraimurugan, who has been facing criticism for holding his granddaughter’s wedding with Vedic rituals and Sanskrit chants, has said she wanted to get married in a traditional ceremony.The wedding, held on November 1, was officiated by priests and drew prominent political figures and celebrities from across party lines in Tamil Nadu.“I had to accept my granddaughter’s wish due to her insistence. I regret the incident. No one needs to make this a political issue or turn it into a subject of debate,” the senior DMK leader told reporters on Friday.He further explained that his granddaughter, who had studied abroad and married a boy from another caste, wanted a traditional wedding ceremony conducted by priests.Reaffirming his commitment to the party’s principles, Duraimurugan said his own wedding and that of his son, Kathir Anand, had been solemnised by former Tamil Nadu chief minister and DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi without such rituals.K Veeramani, president of the Dravidar Kazhagam movement, had strongly criticised Duraimurugan, arguing that personal choices should not be allowed to “undermine” the rationalist principles on which the Dravidian movement was founded.

He also questioned the apparent contradiction of featuring images of Dravidian icons and DMK leaders on the wedding invitation while conducting the ceremony with priests and Sanskrit chants.Highlighting Duraimurugan’s long association with the party, Veeramani urged DMK president and former Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin, Karunanidhi’s son, to ensure that such incidents were not repeated within the party.(With PTI inputs)