Chennai, Nov 15 (IANS) ‘We the Leaders’ movement leader Annamalai has urged the Tamil Nadu government to allow devotees to light a lamp on the pillar atop Thiruparankundram Hill, saying a religious practice linked to people’s faith and tradition should not be obstructed for political or administrative reasons.
In a post on X, Annamalai appealed to the TVK government to respect an order of the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court and bring the dispute to an immediate end through lawful action.
He described lighting the lamp on the hilltop pillar as a longstanding religious tradition and said discontinuing such a practice for political considerations was unacceptable. The issue, he maintained, concerned the worship rights of devotees and required a resolution that respected their beliefs.
Annamalai alleged that the present government was continuing the same approach adopted by the previous DMK administration, which, he said, had created an impression of hostility towards religious faith.
He criticised the continuation of that approach under the TVK government.
Referring to the High Court proceedings, he claimed that a clear order had already been issued by the Madurai Bench. Despite this, he alleged, the matter was being prolonged through appeals and administrative delays instead of the order being implemented. Such an approach, he argued, undermined both judicial directions and the rights of devotees.
The government’s responsibility was to ensure a solution in accordance with the law, rather than allow the dispute to continue, he said.
Annamalai also stressed the importance of preserving communal harmony in Thiruparankundram, describing it as a place where people belonging to different religions lived together in peace and brotherhood.
Creating unnecessary controversies over worship, he said, would disturb that atmosphere.
Questioning the objections to the practice, he asked who would be harmed by devotees peacefully visiting the hill and lighting lamps. He maintained that their religious observance should not become the subject of avoidable political or administrative restrictions.
He urged the government to address the issue promptly, honour the High Court’s direction and ensure that devotees could continue what he described as an established form of worship.
His appeal centred on resolving the dispute through the implementation of the court’s order while safeguarding religious faith and local harmony. He called on the administration to end the prolonged controversy without creating further obstacles for devotees seeking to perform the ritual.
–IANS
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