Thiruparankundram row: TN minister says Murugan not in BJP’s favour
The DMK leader accuses the BJP of inciting communal hatred over the controversy and challenges the saffron party's H Raja to win an election before making tall claims
Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Minister P K Sekar Babu on Saturday (December 27) took a dig at the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the context of the ongoing Thiruparankundram lamp row in Madurai, saying Lord Murugan was not in favour of the saffron party, which he also accused of trying to incite communal hatred through the controversy, but in vain.
He also said that such attempts to polarise people on communal lines would not yield results under the rule of Chief Minister M K Stalin.
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“They (BJP) wanted to incite communal hatred by invoking the name of Lord Murugan through the Thiruparankundram Karthigai Deepam lamp issue. But it appears that they did not have the sanction of the Lord. It failed,” the minister told reporters.
Babu targets H Raja
Responding to the claims made by the BJP's state Coordination Committee Convenor, H Raja, that the temple administration would be freed from the “grip” of the Tamil Nadu government's Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department and handed over to the believers once the saffron party comes to power, Babu remarked, “Let him contest and win.”
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"Raja should seek to contest from any constituency in Chennai, and prove his worth rather than attempting to create an identity for himself by making such unwarranted remarks," Babu added.
Promoting harmony
Meanwhile, residents of Thiruparankundram town were seen hosting events in the Christmas season to boost communal harmony, even as the row rages over the lighting of the lamp by Hindus near a dargah. The local churches saw grand Christmas celebrations that took place two weeks after a peace walk was held, and people from the Hindu and Muslim communities were invited.
Also read: Thiruparankundram row: Why the urgency? Former justice D Hariparanthaman flags haste
As per tradition, the annual ceremonial Karthigai Deepam (lamp lighting) was held at the Deepam Mandapam on the Thiruparankundram Hill in the first week of December, to mark the birth of Lord Murugan. However, members of right-wing outfits have been protesting and holding meetings, asking the temple administration to light the lamp on a stone pillar located near the dargah on the same hill.
With Tamil Nadu Assembly elections due in a few months, the row has emerged into a major political football between the state's ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Opposition, including the BJP and the Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.