CHENNAI: CPM state secretary P Shanmugam on Friday criticised AIADMK general secretary and Leader of the Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami for his stand on the Tiruparankundram hill issue.
In a post on X, he said Palaniswami must explain to the people of Tamil Nadu why a lamp should be lit at a new spot on the hill, irrespective of the court verdict, and clarify whether the move was driven solely by devotion to Murugan. He asked if the AIADMK leader was prepared to give such an explanation. Shanmugam also questioned whether supporting everything done by the BJP without scrutiny had become Palaniswami's policy.
On Thursday, Palaniswami issued a statement accusing the DMK government of failing to implement the Madras High Court's single-judge order relating to the lighting of the lamp at the peak of the Thiruparankundram hill in Madurai. He said the lapse had led to unnecessary tension over the last two days and accused the State government of staging a deceptive political drama.
Palaniswami said the government had forgotten that a good administration must act neutrally without favouring any religion, and condemned it for creating avoidable religious controversy. He added that people would soon teach a lesson to what he described as the MK Stalin model of governance.