Chennai, Dec 5 (IANS) In a strongly worded statement, Tamil Nadu BJP spokesperson A.N.S. Prasad has launched a scathing attack on the M.K. Stalin-led DMK government, alleging that it is engaged in a “systematic, ideologically driven assault on Hindu religious rights” following the controversy surrounding the lighting of the traditional Karthigai Deepam at the Thiruparankundram hilltop.

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court had twice directed that the centuries-old Deepam ceremony be allowed on the sacred hill above the Thiruparankundram Arulmigu Subramaniya Swamy Temple.

The BJP alleges that the temple administration and the Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department, acting under the state government, deliberately refused to comply and instead filed appeals that were rejected by the Division Bench.

According to the statement, when the Bench directed CISF protection to ensure enforcement of the order, police personnel allegedly blocked the hill route, prevented devotees from proceeding, and detained Tamil Nadu BJP president Nainar Nagendran as well as senior leader H. Raja.

The BJP termed this a “wilful obstruction” of a judicial order and a direct violation of the religious freedoms guaranteed under Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution.

Prasad accused the state government of using police force to suppress lawful religious practices, calling the events at Thiruparankundram a “criminal misuse of executive power”.

He alleged that the incident fits a broader pattern, citing the long-running dispute over administrative control of the Chidambaram Nataraja Temple, earlier restrictions on Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha celebrations, and controversies surrounding temple management takeovers in Chennai and other districts.

The statement charged that the state was “weaponising the HR&CE Department as an extra-constitutional authority to curb Hindu rights”, adding that such actions amounted to institutional discrimination in a state where Hindus form an overwhelming majority.

Calling the state’s stance a “brazen contempt of court”, the BJP warned that every act of non-compliance, every arrest, and every administrative intervention would be documented for “future legal and constitutional scrutiny”.

The party maintained that despite the blockade, the traditional flame of Thiruparankundram “will be lit again”, insisting that those responsible for denying the ritual would eventually be held accountable before the law and before the electorate in 2026. The statement concluded with a reiteration of the BJP’s commitment to “protecting religious rights and the spiritual heritage of Tamil Nadu”.

–IANS

aal/dpb