Selvaperunthagai Slams PM Modi’s Tirupparankundram Visit, Says NDA Has No Future in Tamil Nadu

In the thick of an election season where symbolism is as sharply contested as policy, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K. Selvaperunthagai on Sunday launched a pointed attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, declaring that even a pilgrimage to all six abodes of Lord Murugan would not absolve him in the eyes of the deity — or, by implication, the people of Tamil Nadu.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the Prime Minister’s scheduled visit to the Tirupparankundram Murugan Temple, Selvaperunthagai said that Mr. Modi’s temple run would not alter the political mood of the State. “Not just Tirupparankundram — even if he visits all the Arupadai Veedu temples across Tamil Nadu, Murugan will not forgive him,” he said, sharpening the Congress party’s line of attack against the BJP’s religious outreach in the State.

The remarks come in the backdrop of a National Democratic Alliance (NDA) public meeting scheduled to be held in Madurai’s Mandela Nagar area under the leadership of Mr. Modi. Leaders including Edappadi K. Palaniswami, T. T. V. Dhinakaran, and Anbumani Ramadoss are expected to participate. Ahead of the rally, the Prime Minister is slated to offer prayers at Tirupparankundram temple, one of the six revered abodes of Lord Murugan.

Security has been tightened in and around the temple precincts. The visit assumes political significance in the wake of the Tirupparankundram Deepam controversy, which had earlier caused embarrassment to the AIADMK. Political observers believe that the Prime Minister’s decision to undertake a temple visit at this juncture could have electoral implications, though whether it consolidates support or triggers backlash remains to be seen.

Addressing the media, Selvaperunthagai shifted from symbolism to governance, asserting that the schemes implemented by Chief Minister M. K. Stalin have drawn praise globally. “Rare leaders emerge once in a century. In Tamil Nadu, Stalin is such a rare leader,” he said, elevating the Chief Minister’s stature while drawing a sharp contrast with the Prime Minister.

He accused Mr. Modi of thriving on controversy, alleging that the Prime Minister takes up divisive issues and represents the ideological face of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Bharatiya Janata Party. According to him, the RSS and BJP are determined to disturb communal harmony and cannot allow all sections of people to live in peace.

The Congress leader was categorical that repeated visits by the Prime Minister would not change Tamil Nadu’s political arithmetic. “Not once — even if he comes a hundred times, there is no place for the AIADMK-BJP combine in Tamil Nadu. The people will not accept him,” he said. He reiterated that there was no possibility of the NDA forming a government in the State.

Selvaperunthagai further argued that the AIADMK-BJP alliance has been rejected multiple times by the electorate. “This time the BJP is arriving wearing the mask of the AIADMK,” he charged. He also alleged that Mr. Palaniswami had compromised Tamil Nadu’s rights in Delhi during his tenure, and warned that granting the alliance another opportunity would be detrimental to the State’s future.

As campaigning gathers pace, the battle lines in Tamil Nadu are being drawn not merely over development narratives but over identity, federal rights and the symbolism of faith. The Prime Minister’s temple visit and the Congress leader’s blistering response underline how religion and politics remain deeply intertwined in the State’s high-stakes electoral contest.