Behind the politically correct, cliched mantra mouthed by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay and his minions—that they respects all religions—there are signs of a dangerous anti-Hindu toxicity brewing in the background in the state; an animosity that aims to discredit and undermine Hinduism; an organized campaign of hatred by an unholy nexus of anti-Hindu forces whose avowed goal is to eradicate Sanatan Dharma from this ancient land.
In tandem with this Hinduphobia, what we are witnessing in Tamil Nadu is a deliberate disregard for the fundamental principles of secularism. During his election campaign, Vijay had no qualms about audaciously displaying a picture of Jesus Christ to influence his voters. Interestingly, there was no hue and cryfrom other political parties or the media. Compare this with the constant criticism faced by the rank and file of the BJP for raising the slogan of Jai Sri Ram.
J.C.D. Prabhakar of the Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK), the new Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, taking a cue from his leader, initiated Assembly proceedings by quoting verses from the Bible, something unheard of in the annals of India’s constitutional democracy. If a Hindu had quoted the Bhagavad Gita in the Assembly or Parliament, the homilies on secularism would never end.
Finally, the TVK’s alignment with the IUML (Indian Union Muslim League), an overtly communal party, says it all about Vijay’s brand of secularism. These are the double standards and hypocrisy that have become the hallmarks of our secularism.
The TVK government has started off on a wrong footing. Its leaders have unequivocally backed Udhayanidhi Stalin’s call to abolish Sanatan Dharma made in his speech in the Assembly. TVK MLA and founder of the Tamil Muslim League, V.M.S. Mustafa (MadharBadurudeen) concurred by stating: “We too have stepped into the battlefield to eradicate Sanatana.”
Subsequently, both leaders clarified that they were against caste hierarchy and not against Hinduism per se. CM Vijay has yet to come out with a statement clarifying his position.
In the heated debate about Sanatan Dharma in Tamil Nadu where the ignorance of the DMK has come to prevail, it is important to set the record straight. First, Hindu scriptures do not sanction caste discrimination. Moreover, the Hindu concept of varna does not trap a person by birth or deter upward mobility.
Chapter 18, Verse 41 of the Bhagavad Gita states:
brahmana-kshatriya-visham shudranam cha parantapa
karmani pravibhaktani svabhava-prabhavair gunaih
Translated into English, this literally means: “The duties of the Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras are distributed according to their qualities—in accordance with their gunas (and not by birth) and karma.”
A deeper interpretation suggests that all of us have within us varying degrees Caste discrimination is a warped practice that has crept into our society and needs to be addressed at the societal level. Caste discrimination in India continues to be practised by Hindus who have converted to other religions, indicating that conversion is not the panacea for caste discrimination; it also exposes the duplicity of other religions which make false promises of equality to lure Hindus.
The second myth that needs to be busted is about the extraneous origin of Sanatan Dharma. Sanatan Dharma is not a foreign concept or an alien religion imposed on Tamilians; neither is it a North Indian import as the Dravidian parties are prone to claim. It is an intrinsic part of Tamil culture and tradition that goes back thousands of years—to the times of the Ramayana.
Rameshwaram, located at the tip of Tamil Nadu has a Shiva temple which is supposed to have been consecrated by Lord Rama himself. Tamil Sangam literature, which was composed between 300 BC and 300 AD, has numerous references to the Ramayana. In addition, Sangam literature mentions several Hindu gods and indicates that Vedic practices were common in Ancient Tamilakam (Tamil Country).
All ancient Tamil dynasties were strong adherents of Sanatan Dharma, building hundreds of exquisite temples honouring Hindu gods. The Shore Temple Complex at Mahabalipuram built by the Pandyas (7th-8th century) venerate Shiva and Vishnu and depict scenes from the Mahabharata. Tamil Saivism (worship of Shiva) flourished under the Chola Empire (3rd-13th century).
The recently returned 11th century Chola copper plates also attest to this truth. The plates are both in Sanskrit and in Tamil. The plates, which record the genealogy of the Cholas, begin with a salutation to Lord Vishnu, one of the principal deities of Sanatan Dharma.
So, when somebody speaks of eradicating Sanatan Dharma, they are speaking of destroying the very ethos of Tamil tradition and culture
Caste hierarchy (read Brahmin domination) that the DMK and now the TVK keep reiterating is a dated issue. Marginalized and suppressed, Brahmins are no longer relevant in the political or social equation of Tamil Nadu. The fact that not a single Brahmin was given a ticket by any of the major political parties in the recent election is ample proof of this. In this setting, anti-Brahmin rhetoric is pure toxic hate and needs to be called out.
The Dravidian ideology is a false patois based on a discredited historical theory (Aryan and Dravidian) that has engendered a noxious cocktail of anti-nationalism, Hinduphobia and Brahmin hatred. By electing Joseph and the TVK, the Tamil people have shown an inclination to move away at least to a degree from that ideology of separatism and hate. The next step should be to reject the false Dravidian ideology once and for all; a delusion that has pitted Indian against Indian and attempted to fracture the wider Hindu polity instead of reforming it. Calls to eradicate Sanatan Dharma amounts to destroying the very core of Tamil culture and tradition.
Siddaramaiah agreed to step down as a part of the agreement reached with D.K. Shivakumar at the time of the formation of the Congress government, but he is perhaps feeling slighted at being relieved of the responsibility so suddenly. When he arrived in Delhi to meet the central leadership, he was confident that he would get his way and the permission to revamp his Cabinet. He even had his ministers with him, and presented a sort of show of strength when photographs of his along with his senior colleagues were released ahead of the crucial meeting at the Indira Bhawan.
Shivakumar too had been summoned to the capital and he met various functionaries before coming to the venue. There were two rounds held. In the pre-lunch session, Siddaramaiah was confident that he would prevail. However, in the post lunch period, in his one-on-one interaction with Rahul Gandhi, the latter dropped a bombshell, and suggested to him to put in his papers for his sake since the agreement had to be honoured.
A seasoned politician, Siddaramaiah though totally stunned by the development, did not react and instead chose to ask for 48 hours to consult his supporters. Rahul’s estimation was that he would quit by June 18th and by that time the Rajya Sabha polls shall be over. Congress is expecting to win three of the seats and some more in the MLC elections to be notified later.
The spotlight was on Siddaramaiah as he reached Bengaluru, and after some suspense announced that he would be making way for D.K. Shivakumar as he had been directed to step down’’ by the High Command which had provided him with multiple opportunities to “serve the people of the State in various capacities’’ since the time he was invited to join the party by Sonia Gandhi.
He went on to submit his resignation to the Governor, who was out of town but was persuaded to come back and accept it. Siddaramaiah confirmed that he had been offered a Rajya Sabha and important responsibilities in Delhi, but he had decided to stay back in Bengaluru as this was the mandate given to him by his people. He also declared that he would be going back to the national capital to meet the Congress leadership which he did on Thursday with picture of his hugging Rahul Gandhi getting viral.
Although, it is difficult to know the exact details of what transpired during his meeting with Rahul, all sorts of unauthenticated information kept circulating in the corridors of power. There were reports that the outgoing CM had provided his wish list for the Rajya Sabha and Council seats, and given the names of his supporters whom he wants to be accommodated in the government and in the party. He also spoke about strengthening the Ahinda alliance of backwards, Dalits and Minorities.
Siddaramaiah’s moves may have caught the High Command by surprise but D.K. Shivakumar, is not rattled and has got down to giving shape to his own plans. His first test would be to get past the Legislative Party meeting in Bengaluru on Saturday evening, and he has told the central leaders that he would like to have a Cabinet of younger people and those who have a clean image. Some of the heavyweights may get sidelined if his proposal gets the nod from the Delhi Bosses.
He realizes that he has to prevail in this tussle with his predecessor, and simultaneously put the opponents on the mat. His appointment would strengthen the Congress vote base amongst Vokkaligas, the community he belongs to. Till now, majority of Vokkaligas, who dominate the Mysore region, were with JD (S) Secular and owed allegiance to Former Prime Minister HD Deva Gowda and his son HD Kumaraswamy.
Shivakumar would also want to give greater prominence to those who have been with the Congress all along and thus may press the central leadership to appoint the State president of his choice, and not someone from the faction which had come from JD (S) along with Siddaramaiah. He will resist the demand to have a coordination committee between the party and the government and instead have his select people for the key positions. Shivakumar wants to have a say in the selection of Rajya Sabha nominees and his wish list could include giving one berth to YS Sharmila, president of Andhra PCC and daughter of the late YS Rajsekhar Reddy. The next party target is to reclaim Andhra.
D.K. is no green horn and knows what Siddaramaiah is capable of doing. He would perhaps accommodate his son in a key position but would dig in his heels. His time has started. Between us.
