BJP Tamil Nadu chief K Annamalai responded to Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) MP Navas Kani’s challenge, confirming that non-vegetarian food was consumed on the sacred Thiruparankundram hill in Tamil Nadu’s Madurai district.
The controversy erupted after when the MP posted a photo on social media showing his supporters eating non-vegetarian food while on the hill, which houses the revered Thiruparankundram Murugan Temple alongside the Sikandar Badusha Dargah. The post sparked outrage among BJP supporters and members of the public, who viewed it as disrespectful to the Hindu community.
In response to the backlash, Kani denied the allegations, challenging Annamalai to prove his claim or resign. “He (Annamalai) made false accusations. He said that I went to Thiruparankundram temple and ate biryani. I never went to the hill or ate non-vegetarian food,” Kani told India Today TV.
However, Annamalai shared a video that contradicted Kani’s denial. The footage revealed a conversation between Kani, visitors to the Dargah, and Madurai police officers, in which the police confirmed that cooked non-vegetarian food, including biryani, was allowed on the hill. Following this revelation, Kani admitted that his supporters had consumed non-vegetarian food on the hill.
Reacting to Kani’s admission, Annamalai demanded his resignation. “As he (Kani) himself has admitted the truth, I urge him to resign immediately and apologise to the public for hurting the sentiments of Hindus and defiling Lord Muruga’s temple,” he said.
Annamalai accused Kani of deliberately attempting to incite religious tensions and engaging in “appeasement politics”. He added, “Hindus are a peace-loving community. This MP went up the hill and ate non-vegetarian food. This is very unfortunate.”
The controversy initially erupted when police stopped the transportation of animals for sacrifice to the hill, a practice associated with the dargah. Kani, who also serves as the chairman of the Tamil Nadu Wakf Board, defended the practice and emphasised that the land in question partly belongs to the Wakf Board. “Fifty per cent of the land and the dargah belong to the Wakf Board, as published in the Government Gazette,” he asserted.