Attempt to Disrupt Religious Harmony in Tamil Nadu
Vaiko Condemns
On December 2, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court delivered a verdict stating that, from this year onwards, in connection with the Karthigai Deepam festival, the sacred flame may also be lit on the hilltop of Thirupparankundram, where the Deepa Thoongal (beacon pillar) is located near the Arulmigu Subramaniaswamy Temple.
For many years, certain communal organizations had been insisting that the Karthigai Deepam should be lit near the Sikandar Dargah on Thirupparankundram Hill, where the lamp had never been lit earlier. These organizations welcomed the court’s verdict.
In this situation, the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department filed an appeal against the verdict yesterday.
As today marks the Karthigai Deepam festival, the hearing on this appeal began this afternoon.
While hearing the appeal, Justice G.R. Swaminathan stated that the Karthigai Deepam must be lit on the hilltop of Thirupparankundram by 6.00 pm, failing which contempt of court proceedings would be initiated at 6.05 pm.
In this backdrop, the attempt by communal forces to light the Karthigai Deepam near the Sikandar Dargah—instead of lighting it at the Deepa Mandapam of the Ucchi Pillaiyar Temple, where the lamp has traditionally been lit for many years—amounts to a deliberate effort to disrupt religious harmony. Their attempt to turn a sacred place of worship into a site of conflict in Thirupparankundram is strongly condemnable.
Communal forces should not be allowed to disturb social peace in Thirupparankundram for political gains. The people of Tamil Nadu will never permit such attempts.
The Tamil Nadu Government must firmly suppress, with an iron hand, these Hindutva communal forces that seek to divide people in the name of religion by violating long-standing traditions.
Vaiko
General Secretary
Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
‘Thayagam’
Chennai – 8
03.12.2025