CHENNAI: BJP’s attempt to incite communal hatred through the Thirupparankundram lamp lighting issue failed and it appears that Lord Murugan was not on their side, Tamil Nadu HR & CE Minister PK Sekar Babu claimed on Saturday.

All such attempts to divide the people on communal lines will not yield success under Chief Minister MK Stalin’s rule, he said.

“They (BJP) wanted to incite communal hatred by invoking the name of Lord Murugan through the Thirupparankundram Karthigai Deepam lamp issue. But it appears that they did not have the sanction of the Lord. It failed,” the minister told reporters here.

Responding to the BJP state coordination committee convenor H Raja’s claim that the temple administration will be freed from the “grip” of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments department and handed over to the believers once the BJP comes to power, Babu remarked, “Let him contest and win.”

Raja should seek to contest from any constituency in Chennai and prove his worth rather than attempting to create an identity for himself by making such unwarranted remarks, Babu said.