His father M Karunanidhi was a staunch atheist. But DMK leader and Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin, seems to have softened his party's stand towards religion. Whatever his motive, Stalin has been taking pains to emphasise that his government is neither anti-spiritual nor anti-religion. Whatever his motive, Stalin has been taking pains to emphasise that his government is neither anti-spiritual nor anti-religion. The DMK govt, in recent days, has taken several decisions that show it doesn’t want to antagonise devout Hindus. The state govt recalled a suspension order it had served to the dean of the Madurai Medical College for administering the Maharshi Charak Shapath oath, a passage from Ayurveda texts, to new doctors, instead of the traditional Hippocratic oath. It also reversed its ban on an ancient Shaivite ritual known as the Pattina Pravesam, practiced by the Dharmapuram Adheenam institution. The ritual requires devotees to carry the pontiff in a palanquin, - a practice which the DMK initially found regressive.