Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, March 1, blamed the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government in Tamil Nadu for the death of Poornachandran, a Madurai resident who died by self-immolation allegedly over the Thiruparankundram Karthigai Deepam issue.
“Today, in Madurai, I remembered Thiru Poornachandran. This happened due to the insensitivity of the DMK government in the state,” the Prime Minister said, adding that the incident weighed heavily on his heart. “Thiruparankundram’s young devotee, Poornachandran, who sacrificed his life — I met his wife, Indumathi, and their two children. I offered my deepest condolences to them,” he said.
Ahead of addressing a public meeting, Modi met Poornachandran’s family and later visited the Arulmigu Subramania Swamy Temple in Madurai. The temple has been at the centre of controversy over the lighting of a Karthigai Deepam lamp atop a hillock near the Hazrat Sultan Sikandar Badshah Dargah.
The Prime Minister addressed a public gathering at Mandela Nagar on the Madurai–Tirunelveli Highway. Leader of Opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami and several leaders of National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners were present, including TTV Dhinakaran, GK Vasan, Piyush Goyal and L Murugan.
Speaking in the run-up to the elections, Modi accused the DMK of fostering “mafia-type politics” in Madurai, leading to poor drainage systems, infrastructure issues, waste management failures, and a drop in the city’s national cleanliness ranking. He also alleged that women felt unsafe due to rising crime and the spread of drugs, and claimed that women remembered feeling safer during the tenure of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. He promised that an NDA-led state government would take strict action against criminals and the drug mafia. The PM’s remarks come in the wake of the arrest of a DMK functionary who is accused of aggravated sexual assault causing the death of 2.5 year-old girl in Krishnagiri district.
The Thiruparankundram controversy began last December after Hindutva groups demanded that the Karthigai Deepam lamp be lit on a stone pillar near the dargah. On December 1, Justice GR Swaminathan of the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court permitted the lighting of the lamp at the controversial site. However, the Tamil Nadu government later blocked the move, citing concerns over potential communal tensions.
Modi further accused the DMK of dynasty politics, corruption, and misgovernance. Referring to alleged scams, he said: “When it comes to honesty in politics, K Kamarajar set an example for the whole country. The DMK is the exact opposite. Rs 365 crore transfer scam, Rs 900 crore jobs scam, Rs 1,000 crore contracts scam, Rs 4,700 crore sand mining scam, Rs 40,000 crore scam, TASMAC scam — usually ministers compete with each other in good work; DMK ministers compete in terms of scams.”
The PM also highlighted India’s recent trade agreement with the European Union, stating that it would open access to 28 new markets. He said Tamil Nadu’s textile, electronics, MSME and seafood export sectors would benefit from expanded global trade opportunities, but only if the NDA came to power in the state.