Thol Thirumavalavan, Vidhuthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi ( VCK) name is added to the list of those leaders who spew venom against the Sanatan Dharma and tried to create a divide among the Hindus. This is the second such big incident recently, wherein a big leader of the south, through his remarks tried to denounce the Sanatan dharma.
Recently, in Chennai, The Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers and Artists Association organized the “Eradicate Sanatanam Conclave.” It similar to the anti-Hindu Dismantling Global Hindutva conference that was held in 2021.
In that DMK minister Udhayanidhi Stalin had said that the ‘Sanatana Dharma’ should be eliminated as it is against social justice and equality. He also compared ‘Sanatana Dharma’ with diseases like dengue, malaria, coronavirus and said such things should be abolished. SC lawyer has filed a case against him under various sections and TN BJP legal wing has sought permission from the State governor to file criminal cases against.
DMK Minister Udhayanidhi said he is ready to face any legal proceedings for his speech.
Union Home Minister Amit Shan came down heavily on him and said, “Two major parties of INDIA coalition, DMK and Congress, their senior leaders – one a son of a (former) Finance Minister and the other a Chief Minister’s son – are saying that Sanatan Dharma should be ended. Tell me, are you ready to end Sanatan Dharma?”.
BJP President JP Nadda denounced Junior Stalin’s remark and said, “Is Udayanidhi’s statement a part of the INDIA alliance’s political strategy? Are you going to use this anti-Hindu strategy in the upcoming elections? You have proved multiple times that you hate everything related to our country and your ‘Mohabbat ki Dukan is spreading hate” .
Senior BJP leader Sushil Modi said “Udhayanidhi Stalin should be detained and jailed. He is spreading hatred in the community. On one side Rahul Gandhi says ‘Nafrat ke bazaar mein Mohabbat ki dukaan’ and on the other side, a major leader of their ally in Tamil Nadu is saying to eradicate ‘Sanatana Dharma’ completely. This is an anti-national act”.
Thol Thirumavalavan of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), a party belonging to the I.N.D.I. Alliance, who participated in the conclave also made objectionable remarks against Sanatana Dharma and Hinduism. Thirumavalavan quoted Dr B R Ambedkar and said, “‘Sanatana Dharma’ or Hindu Dharma, is a contagious disease. It should be eradicated and annihilated in future. Then only we can attain equality among the people. So, Minister Udhayanidhi spoke about about the ideology of Periyar, the ideology of Ambedkar, ideology of equality. So this is not against the Hindu community. We are opposing and criticising Sangh Parivar’s agenda. Their agenda is nothing but Hindutva. So we are not against Hindus. We are against Hindutva which is the political agenda of BJP and RSS.”
He said “Sanatana Dharma signifies permanence, suggesting that it lacks a commencement or conclusion, birth or demise. It’s often referred to as eternal. This is its literal interpretation. However, permanence goes against the natural order of things. In nature, everything is susceptible to change, and nothing remains constant. Therefore, Sanatanam contradicts the principles of nature. It can be summarized in one simple statement: ‘Inequality based on birth is enduring.’ This enduring inequality is what constitutes Sanatana Dharma. Sanatanam opposes the concept of social equality, and it is incumbent upon us to challenge this ideology.”
The VCK MP said “While we often associate Sanatana with Brahminism, it fundamentally encompasses the exploitation of labour, the concentration of power, hegemony, and oppression. Presently, it is the Brahmins who predominantly embody this Sanatanam. Therefore, we commonly refer to Sanatana as Paarpaniyam. It is rare to hear Brahmins themselves describe their ideology as Paarpaniyam or Brahminism. Instead, it is we who assign them this label. The credit for this identification of Paarpaniyam or Brahminism goes to Ambedkar and Periyar.”
“Paarpaniyam (Brahminism), Hindutva, and Hinduism are distinct concepts; they are not synonymous but share connections. They all fall under a common framework. Sanatanam forms the core of Hinduism, which involves the belief in deities like Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma, Murugan, and Parvathi, and the narratives associated with them as found in Puranas and Ithihasas. Hindutva, however, stands apart from Hinduism. Hinduism serves as a tool employed by Brahmins, the BJP, or Sangh Parivars to further their agendas”. He gave a detailed explanation wherein he compared communism , capitalism and brahmism.
Tamil Nadu Congress Chief KS Alagiri (in December 2021) had made a big controversial statement by saying that anti-BJP parties believe that the Sanatana Dharma, which means Hinduism, should be destroyed along with defeating BJP. KS Alagiri said that it is a matter of pride for his party to be viewed as an indispensable force in any alliance that believes “Bharatiya Janata Party should lose and Sanatana Dharma should be destroyed”. Alagiri made these controversial comments quoting Lok Sabha MP Thol Thirumavalavan.
He was reacting to Thirumavalavan who said ” the BJP is trying to replace the Constitution with it. He had alleged that BJP wants to further Sanatan Dharma in the country, and has made several defamatory comments against the religion. He had once said that “Sanatan is worse than alcohol”, and had claimed that all women are considered as prostitutes in Sanatan Dharma. He had said that Hindu temples are places with ‘dirty idols’, and had said that upper-caste women go behind men of other castes as ‘their’ men do not have any ‘stuff’.
In 2017, the rabid hindu phobic said “You (Hindus) have destroyed Buddha Viharas to build temples for Shiva and Perumal…A Buddha Vihara should now come up where Ranganathar sleeps (Srirangam) and Tirumalai. Another Vihara must be built after pulling down Kanchi Kamakshi temple”. In 2019 he said “if the building has a dome, it is a mosque; if it is tall and straight, it is a church; and if it has dirty idols/dolls/figurines, it is a temple”.
