Devotees meet in Madurai a political gathering, says CPM state secretary P Shanmugam

CHENNAI: CPM state secretary P Shanmugam has strongly criticised the upcoming Lord Murugan devotees’ conference scheduled to be held in Madurai on June 22, labelling it a political manoeuvre by the BJP disguised as a spiritual event.

In a post on the social media platform X, Shanmugam said the BJP was attempting to exploit the religious sentiments of Hindu believers under the pretext of organising a Murugan devotees’ meet.

“This is not a spiritual conference, but a political gathering aimed at furthering the BJP’s own agenda,” he said.

He accused the BJP of orchestrating a plan to politically benefit by invoking faith-based mobilisation.

“That is why BJP leaders, from the national president to local functionaries, are actively involved in mobilising people for the event,” Shanmugam stated.

Drawing parallels to events in North India, he alleged that the BJP had come to power by inciting communal tensions in the name of the Ram temple.

“Now, they dream of turning Tamil Nadu into a land of strife using Lord Murugan as a political tool,” he added.

Urging the public to see through the BJP’s intentions, Shanmugam appealed to genuine devotees of Lord Murugan to reject and boycott the event.