6 months ago
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“The Thirupparankundram contented which is perceived to beryllium a combat betwixt Hindus and Muslims, is really a combat betwixt the Modi authorities and Madurai people,” said CPI(M) MP Su. Venkatesan.
He spoke astatine a day-long hunger onslaught astatine the Palanganatham successful Madurai, protesting what it called attempts by right-wing groups to stoke communal hostility implicit ‘Karthigai Deepam’ astatine Thirupparankundram hill.
In his address, Mr. Venkatesan said determination was “no spot for spiritual fanaticism successful the ungraded of Madurai” and described the CPI(M)’s accelerated arsenic a conflict to “protect people’s unity” and enactment development, alternatively than hate, astatine the centre of nationalist discourse.
He accused organisations aligned with the RSS, BJP and Hindu Munnani of trying to crook the Thirupparankundram ‘Karthigai Deepam’ into a ‘riot lamp’.
The MP slammed close helping forces for manufacturing struggle implicit the Deepam tract done a ‘same pattern’ of spiritual riots, resembling ‘Ayodhya politics’ to derail absorption from existent issues.
He noted that aft the 2019 Supreme Court verdict connected the Babri Masjid-Rama Janmabhoomi case, ‘many problems regarding places of worship person been raised successful courts,’ with 18 cases registered successful 2024-25 alone.
“They assertion a temple existed nether a mosque and commencement a lawsuit to make hostility arsenic seen successful Uttar Pradesh and different States,” helium added.
Mr. Venkatesan criticised erstwhile Chief Minister and AIADMK wide caput Edappadi K. Palaniswami for ignorance of his party’s past stances nether MGR and Jayalalithaa, which upheld traditions and rejected specified provocations.
Invoking a 3,000-year-old past of Thirupparankundram from Vel worship to Buddhist, Jain and different traditions, Mr. Venkatesan said the elevation symbolised a shared Tamil spiritual practice that cannot beryllium reduced to a azygous communal narrative.
He cited practices wherever Hindus and Muslims jointly propulsion the Sandanakoodu chariot and service devotees during festivals, insisting the existent struggle was ‘between spiritual fanatics and affable quality beings,’ not betwixt spiritual communities.
In his concluding speech, CPI(M) politburo subordinate K. Balakrishnan warned that the AIADMK-BJP confederation posed a sedate menace to Tamil Nadu’s bid and growth, slamming Mr. Palaniswami for enabling Hindutva organisations to escalate tiny issues into spiritual riots destroying the secular quality of the State.
Highlighting soaring inflation, the diminution of accepted businesses and unemployed qualified youth, helium accused BJP and its allies of dividing radical successful the sanction of religion portion ignoring the existent issues.
Mr. Balakrishnan affirmed that CPI(M) would not let specified atrocities to continue, declaring “this predetermination volition alteration things.”
Slogans astatine the protestation urged the Union authorities not to neglect Madurai, and demanded enactment connected drinking water, concern investment, tiny and mean endeavor extortion and younker employment on with a steadfast basal against spiritual provocation.
In addition, Madurai territory CPI(M) caput M. Ganesan, successful the beingness of suburban territory caput K. Rajendran, spoke astatine the protest.
