The idol at the popular Murugan temple in Palani had been replaced in 2003 under the seer's supervision. This led to deep resentment among the temple's devotees who believed it was not done in keeping with tradition. Jayalalithaa's All Indian Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazagham faced their ire. The AIADMK was routed in the general election.

Soon after, Jayalalithaa restored the old idol.

On June 6, Jayendra Saraswati said the chief minister's 'ahankara (arrogance) had led to her party's disastrous performance when it did not win a single Lok Sabha seat in Tamil Nadu.

'God alone knows who is advising her. I think she's her own advisor,' Jayendra Saraswati is said to have remarked.

Photograph: Rediff.com

Photograph: Prakash Singh/AFP/Getty Images

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