At a press conference held at his party headquarters in Egmore, Vaiko, the founder and General Secretary of Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK), alleged a troubling rise of “religious fanaticism” within the judiciary. His comments followed a verdict by the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court over the lighting of the Karthigai Deepam lamp at Thirupparankundram hill.
According to Vaiko, the judge delivered the decision “arbitrarily.” He accused the judge of aligning openly with “Hindutva forces,” describing the verdict as “poison” spread from the judge’s mind. “If you want to join the Hindutva forces and spit venom,” Vaiko said, “you should resign from that judicial post.” He warned that such actions undermine public confidence in judicial impartiality.
Vaiko also addressed what he described as a larger political design. He charged the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ideological affiliate RSS with deliberately fostering religious conflict in Tamil Nadu for electoral gains. He argued that historically, worship at the Murugan temple at Thirupparankundram had never caused communal tensions — but recent court verdicts and political influences had stirred unrest.
As part of his response, Vaiko announced that his party will organise a 190-km “Equality March” from January 2 to January 12. The march, he said, aims to draw attention to rising drug consumption in the State and to stand against communal polarization. He added that other opposition leaders and parties — including members of his alliance — are expected to join the protest.