Religious organisation Hindu Munnani has filed a police complaint in Chennai against Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam MP Kanimozhi for her alleged atheist remarks at a conference organised by the Dravidar Kazhagam in Tiruchirappalli city of Tamil Nadu, The News Minute reported on Thursday.

On January 6, the Rajya Sabha MP was invited to speak at the World Atheist Conference where she had said that she had recently visited the popular Tirupati Tirumala temple in Andhra Pradesh. Kanimozhi said she, along with some other MPs, was taken to the temple by Vice President Venkaiah Naidu through a special route arranged for the group.

“They say everyone is equal in front of god, but that is a lie,” Kanimozhi said at the conference, according to The News Minute. “If you give more money and buy a ticket you get special dharsanam [visit]. If not, you stand for 10 hours, 20 hours or two days. That is god.”

She further said that an MP who was accompanying them told her that while she believes there is no god, there were so many people waiting in queues to see god. “He told me that all their wishes are being granted and they are being protected...I then asked him, there is a money collection box right in front of the god. Why is there a security personnel with a stun gun protecting it? People who run the temple are not confident that god can protect the money collection box. Why should I believe in god?” she said.

The Hindu Munnani alleged that her remarks had hurt religious sentiments, and people who speak against religious beliefs are anti-social. “Since the Bharatiya Janata Party has come to power in the Centre, people are more willing to take on such distasteful statements,” Elangovan, Chennai president of Hindu Munnani, told The News Minute. “As an MP, it is her duty to treat everyone equally. So, how can she talk against the sentiments of one community?”

Elangovan said the Chennai police commissioner had told him that action would be taken against Kanimozhi.

At the conference, DMK MP had also said that atheists and rationalists all over the world were under threat. She said that no religion treats women as equal to men. “All religions say a woman has to obey a man. Women have been denied their rights in every religion,” she added. “Religion is nothing but fear. How much blood has been shed, how many wars have been fought in this world because of religion?”