Madurai: In an important directive that has brought both relief to Hindu outfits and a sharp spotlight on the Tamil Nadu police’s alleged bias, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has instructed the state police to decide on applications from the Hindu Munnani seeking permission to hold a major Bhagwan Murugan devotees’ conference on June 22. This ruling comes as a perceived blow to the Dravida Model DMK government, which has been accused by Hindu organisations and the opposition BJP of consistently denying permissions for their events, protests, and rallies, including even national flag hoisting.
Justice B Pugalendi, after hearing submissions from the police, directed them to make a final decision on the permission by June 12. While the court allowed the petitioner to proceed with setting up miniatures of Bhagwan Murugan’s six abodes and conduct poojas at the conference venue from June 10 to 22, it explicitly stated that no ceremonial worship (poojas) should be conducted until a definitive decision on the conference permission is granted. The court further questioned the police’s rationale for denying permission for the Madurai Murugan conference when a similar event in Palani had been permitted by the DMK government, highlighting a perceived double standard. The hearing has been adjourned to June 13.
The “Muruga Bhakthargal Aanmeega Mahanaadu” (Bhagwan Murugan Devotees’ Spiritual Mega Conference), envisioned by the Hindu Munnani, plans to host a vibrant array of cultural and spiritual programmes, including the chanting of Kanda Shasti Kavasam and Thiruppugazh. Organisers anticipate a massive turnout of over 5 lakh devotees, signaling the event’s scale and potential impact. The proposed list of attendees further elevates the conference’s profile, with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, and other prominent dignitaries from across Bharat, along with film stars, politicians, and industrialists, slated to attend the mega event on June 22 in Madurai.
The Thiruparankundram Hill Controversy: A Core Flashpoint
At the heart of this highly anticipated spiritual gathering lies a deeply contentious issue: the event is being strategically positioned as a “launch pad to wage a war” against persistent attempts to rename the ancient Thiruparankundram hill as “Sikkandar Hill.” Thiruparankundram, one of Bhagwan Murugan’s six primary abodes, holds immense spiritual and historical significance for Hindus. The move to rename it after Sikandar Shah, a 13th-century ruler of the Delhi Sultanate who briefly controlled the Madurai region, has ignited fierce opposition from Hindu groups. Critics allege that this renaming demand is championed by some fundamentalist Muslim outfits, enjoying the tacit or explicit support of what they term “urban naxals,” left parties, various Dravidian parties including AIADMK, Naam Tamizhar Katchi, Vijay Joseph’s TVK, and other “tukede tukede” elements. These groups are accused of harboring a “strong Hindu phobic nature and aversion against Sanatana parties,” thereby fueling the renaming agenda.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah recently weighed in on the contentious issue during his visit to Madurai. “The DMK government has the audacity to call our thousand-year-old Thirupparankundram mountain as Sikandar Mountain. The DMK government is doing this for separatist and political gains. We should participate in the Muruga devotees’ conference to be held on June 22 and show our strength,” Shah declared, explicitly linking the conference to the broader political and religious battle.
This statement immediately drew a sharp retort from CPIM MP from Madurai, Su. Venkatesan, who took to social media platform X to challenge Shah’s historical narrative. “Thirupparankundram hill, a thousand years old,” says Amit Shah. Parankundram is a Tamil word three thousand years old. The conspiracy of Sanatana lies in reducing it to a thousand years. While claiming Sanskrit is tens of thousands of years old, their politics, from Keeladi to Thirupparankundram, is to confine Tamil within a thousand years,” Venkatesan posted, alleging a deliberate attempt to downplay Tamil antiquity.
“ஆயிரம் ஆண்டு பழமையான திருப்பரங்குன்றம் மலை” என்கிறார் அமித்ஷா.
பரங்குன்றம் என்பது மூவாயிரம் ஆண்டு பழமையான தமிழ் சொல். அதனை ஆயிரம் ஆண்டு என சுருக்குவதில் தான் சனாதனத்தின் சதி இருக்கிறது.
சமஸ்கிருதத்தை பல்லாயிரம் ஆண்டு என்று சொல்லிக்கொண்டே தமிழை ஆயிரம் ஆண்டுக்குள் அடக்குவது தான்… pic.twitter.com/Mpyg1ytkPf
— Su Venkatesan MP (@SuVe4Madurai) June 8, 2025
Responding to Su. Venkatesan’s remarks, BJP IT wing functionary Tinku Venkatesh offered a counter-argument on X, asserting the hill’s continuous Hindu identity. “…..You admit Thiruparankundram is 3000 years old, that means it belongs to Lord Murugan alone, every stone, every street,” Tinku Venkatesh countered, reinforcing the Hindu claim over the ancient site.
Amit Shah said Saalon se – many years
Translator clearly says பல ஆயிரம் ஆண்டுகளாகThis isn’t poor understanding
Your lying & twistingYou admit Thiruparankundram is 3000 years old, that means it belongs to Lord Murugan alone, every stone, every street @SuVe4Madurai Agree ? https://t.co/JelHGhCM6v pic.twitter.com/rYf5GwaEpu
— Tinku Venkatesh | ಟಿಂಕು ವೆಂಕಟೇಶ್ (@tweets_tinku) June 9, 2025
Political Rhetoric Heats Up
The political implications of the Murugan conference have fueled a heated war of words between various parties. P. Shanmugam, the CPI(M) Tamil Nadu state secretary, accused the BJP of exploiting religious sentiments for electoral gain. In a post on X, he stated, “This is not a spiritual conference, but a political meeting aimed at advancing the BJP’s agenda. From the national leadership to local functionaries, BJP leaders are involved in mobilising people for this event… They want to turn Tamil Nadu into a land of strife using Lord Murugan as a political tool.”
Naam Tamizhar Katchi (NTK) chief Seeman, known for his often-inconsistent public statements, weighed in from Thirumayam in Pudukottai district on June 8. Claiming to be a “grandson of Lord Murugan,” Seeman accused the BJP of engaging in communal politics. “There is a value for Murugan in the state. Why did not you (BJP) elevate Him all these days? You take up Rama in UP, Puri’s Jagannath in Odisha, Ayyappa in Kerala and then Murugan here. Do you think people here will be deceived?” he questioned, suggesting a selective and opportunistic religious outreach by the BJP.
Responding to these criticisms, TN BJP chief Nainar Nagendran strongly condemned TN HR and CE Minister PK Sekar Babu’s comments, which alluded to potential “untoward incidents” during the conference. “Sekar Babu is a devotional person but it is disappointing to see him saying such remarks suggesting untoward incidents may happen during the conference. It raises suspicion as to who really wants to create divisive incidents. Why does the minister harbour such bad thoughts?” Nagendran questioned.
Sekar Babu, meanwhile, remained unyielding in his criticism. He dismissed the upcoming event as a “pure Sanghi and political conference.” He contrasted it with a previous “universal Murugan conference” organized by the government, which he claimed saw “7 to 8 lakh people” attend without any organized crowd mobilization or bus arrangements. “But they planned this conference with intention to use it to divide people in the name of religion,” Sekar Babu alleged, asserting the BJP’s divisive motives.
#JUSTIN | முருகன் மாநாடு அல்ல; சங்கிகள் மாநாடு – அமைச்சர் சேகர்பாபு #SekarBabu | #MaduraiMuruganMaanadu | #MuruganMaanadu pic.twitter.com/io6OWtP82C
— PttvOnlinenews (@PttvNewsX) June 6, 2025
Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan, former Telangana Governor and a prominent BJP figure, responded to Sekar Babu’s comments by accusing the DMK of fearing the BJP’s religious outreach. “People like Sekar Babu are seeing our devotion-filled Murugan Conference with fear. Be it a political conference or religious conference, our only intention is to do good for the people and make devotion prosper. Why did you conduct Murugan Conference when you do not believe in him? This is only creating doubts in people’s minds,” she questioned, highlighting what she perceived as the DMK’s hypocrisy and apprehension.
DMK MP A. Raja echoed his party’s sentiment, stating the conference was “purely for political gains and to create differences between Hindus and Muslims.” He accused the BJP of attempting to “turn Hindus against Muslims and Christians,” arguing that the conference was “not to unite Hindus or for Lord Murugan.” Raja expressed confidence that “the people of Madurai will reject this. Amit Shah tried creating differences between communities in Tamil Nadu. The people of Tamil Nadu will never accept these kind of statements.”
Organized Opposition and Counter-Allegations
The DMK government’s alleged backing of the “Dravidian Model” has emboldened nearly 40 groups to openly oppose the BJP’s Murugan devotees’ conference. Fringe and lesser-known outfits, including the “Madurai Madha Nallinakka Makkal Kootamaippu” (Madurai Religious Harmony People’s Federation), a collective of 40 civil society organizations, submitted a petition to District Magistrate M.S. Sangeetha on June 2. They expressed grave concerns that the conference would “disturb Madurai’s tradition of religious harmony and inflame communal sentiments,” urging the district administration not to grant permission to an event that “may incite communal discord in the name of faith.” This federation also plans to hold its own “People’s Unity Conference” on June 29 at Obulapathithurai, focusing on inclusive worship, communal harmony, and interfaith understanding.
However, critics have swiftly questioned the sincerity and locus standi of these opposing outfits. They have pointed out what they perceive as hypocrisy, asking why these organizations remained silent when Muslims allegedly attempted to slaughter and cook Qurbani atop the same hills, or when IMUL MP Nawas Kani and an MLA reportedly ate biryani at the hill. They further questioned why there was no objection when the MP claimed the hill was a Waqf property and when there was a move to rename it as Sikandar Malai. The critics also drew attention to the government-organized “universal Murugan conference” in Palani, alleging the presence of “burqa-clad Muslims” at the event.
Adding another layer to the controversy, intelligence sources have revealed documents accessed by “Organiser” which indicate that various groups including Makkal Adhikaram (a Naxal outfit), May 17 movement, Tamizhaga Vazhuurimai Katchi, Revolutionary Youth Students Front, Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam, Welfare Katchi, and VCK (represented by Mohd Ghosue) urged the government not to grant permission for the conference. Critics dismiss these outfits as “fringe tukede tukede anti-national outfits” with no legitimate public support, accusing them of acting as mouthpieces for Muslim interests and opposing the rightful “uprising of Hindus in one group to protect their rights seeing the designs of these outfits.”
Hindu Munnani’s Broader Concerns on Religious Freedom
Beyond the immediate conference dispute, the Hindu Munnani has voiced broader concerns regarding what it perceives as discriminatory restrictions and conditions imposed exclusively on Hindu festivals in the state, while other religions remain largely untouched. They cited a recent High Court order that mandated Hindu temple festivals conducting dance and song events to donate Rs. 25,000 to local bodies for desilting water bodies.
The Hindu Munnani argued that the government already levies various fees—for temple visits, special darshans, and offerings—effectively making temple access increasingly difficult for the common worshipper and creating a “political untouchability” based on economic status. “Directing Hindus to pay to local bodies is an infringement of Hindus’ worshiping rights. We agree there is no obscenity in the events but asking us to pay and conduct would not be correct. It is hurting the sentiments of Hindus,” the organisation stated, underscoring its belief that such directives disproportionately burden Hindu devotees and undermine their religious freedom.
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