Reject BJP, Sangh Parivar’s bid to destabilise communal harmony in Tamil Nadu: DMK, allies

CHENNAI: The ruling DMK and its allies, on Sunday, appealed to the people of Tamil Nadu to reject the attempts of the BJP and Sangh Parivar to destabilise communal harmony in Tamil Nadu.

In a joint statement issued following the controversy at Thiruparankundram Hill, the leaders of DMK, Dravidar Kazhagam, Congress, MDMK, CPM, CPI, IUML, VCK, MNM, Manithaneya Makkal Katchi, Kongunadu Makkal Desiya Katchi and Thamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi said, during the last three years, minor right-wing outfits have become active in Tamil Nadu.

“These outfits who remained relatively dormant during the past three years, have launched their divisive politics aimed at the ‘election harvest’ of BJP and they have been executing conspiracies to disrupt the unity of Tamil Nadu,” the leaders said.

They added that the people from the state have been rejecting BJP consistently as the party has been betraying the interests of Tamil Nadu despite being in power for 10 years now. The leaders also recalled that even in the Union Budget the BJP did no good for the state. When many districts were affected by cyclones and floods, the BJP-led union government failed to allocate the funds sought by the state.

Against this backdrop, the BJP and the Sangh Parivar outfits have enacted the next phase of their communal agenda by focussing on Thiruparankundram Hill, one of the six abodes of Lord Muruga. “At the foothills of the Thiruparankundram Hill, the Subramaniya Swami Temple is located, along with Kasi Viswanathar Temple to the south and Uchi Pillaiyar Temple to the east.

Jainism flourished in the region around 2,000 years ago. A section of the Thiruparankundram hill houses the Sikandar Badhusha Awliya Dargah and people here have been worshipping peacefully for a very long time. Since ancient times, our ancestors offered prayers at the Subramaniya Swami Temple and the Sikandar Dargah, both Hindus and Muslims have fulfilled vows by offering goats and chickens as part of the annadanam (Kandhuri) feast,” the leaders added.

They also charged that BJP, RSS, and Hindutva outfits have been spreading wrong information about the religious traditions to incite tension among the people. They also spread false information that there was a danger to the Subramaniya Swami temple and called upon the people to gather on February 4. At this juncture, leaders of all parties urged the collector to take action against the communal forces.

“At the same time, the people of Tamil Nadu did not believe the falsehood and ignored them. However, the communal outfits who gathered there spoke against the Constitution and declared their divisive plan openly. We appeal to the people of all sections in Thiruparankundram to thwart the plots of communal forces and stand united as ever” the leaders added.