Updated on Sunday, January 21, 2007, 00:00 IST

Chennai, Jan 21: There is nothing wrong in joining hands with a spiritual leader like Sathya Sai Baba for the benefit of the poor, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, known for his atheist ideology, said on Sunday.

Sharing a platform with Baba, at a function attended by a galaxy of Union ministers and chief ministers to felicitate Sai Baba for repairing the canal bringing Krishna water from Andhra Pradesh to Chennai for drinking purpose at a cost of about Rs 200 crore, Karunanidhi said he was attending the function because he accepted Sai Baba's words "service to mankind is service to god".

"Whether I accept god or not is not important. What is important is whether my deeds are acceptable to god, if at all god existed," he said.

While refraining from addressing Sai Baba as 'Bhagwan' (lord), the DMK supremo said spiritual leaders like Sai Baba were working for people's welfare. He said he had "always differentiated between good spiritual leaders like Sai Baba and fake godmen".

Spiritual leaders like Sai Baba were only serving the people, he said, adding though Cauvery and Kollidam were different rivers, the water flowing in them was the same and their purpose was the same.

Just like the water flowing in those two rivers helps cultivate crops and produce food for mankind, he and Sai Baba had "come together for the welfare of the poor", Karunanidhi said.

Bureau Report