Amid the raging Deepam controversy over lighting the Karthigai Deepam atop Thiruparankundram hill in Madurai, Narendra Modi is set to offer prayers at the Murugan Temple during his March 1 visit. Sources say he will spend around 30 minutes at the shrine before unveiling major development projects. The Bharatiya Janata Party has projected itself as a defender of devotees’ rights, accusing the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam of vote-bank politics. BJP leader K. Annamalai spoke of Modi’s special focus on Tamil Nadu, while Chief Minister M. K. Stalin dismissed the NDA as a “zero alliance.” State minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan further escalated the political sparring.