Tamil Nadu Politics Has Always Been A Breeding Ground For Anti-Hindu Forces

The biggest surprise in the whole l'affaire Udhayanidhi Stalin is that people are actually surprised at the fulmination against Hinduism by him.

Anyone having even an inkling of knowledge of Tamil Nadu politics would understand that what Stalin Junior has spoken is merely just another instance of anti-Hindu hatred that the Dravidian leaders are relentlessly unleashing in different forms for over a century now. It is a never-ending charade and Udhayanidhi is its latest manifestation.

For instance, DMK founder C N Annadurai, in a speech on 9 May 1943, called for the dismantling of ‘sanatanam’.

There is no point in trying to parse Udhayanidhi's diatribe against Hinduism. In any case, he has tied himself maladroitly in clumsy knots in a seeming effort to explain what he meant. Incidental details are irrelevant in the context. Whether he called for the genocide of Hindus or not is not the point. The sum and substance of it is simple and always the same: Eradicate Hinduism.  

'Sanatana Dharma', 'Casteism', 'Brahminism', are all just thinly-veiled euphemisms for Hinduism which is their main target for reasons that seem to be many. (It is worth pointing out that the DK's Veeramani said in the very same conclave that Sanatana Dharma and Hinduism are the same).

Of course, the slandering of Hinduism is also a political ploy. Right from the days of the Justice Party in the 1910s, which was the precursor to the DK, which itself was the forerunner to the DMK, vitriol has been flowing against the fundamental religion of this land.

It could be said that no other religion in the world has faced this amount of vile attacks and bad-mouthing as Hinduism has faced. And the fear of a Hindu consolidation has led to the pitch of the unabating calumny being raised in Tamil Nadu.

EVR And His Bigotry

The man who pioneered this slobbering attack was of course EV Ramasamy Naicker (EVR), whose speeches and writings were unhinged and extreme. The Internet is full of first-hand details of his utterances, which, among other things, called for the extermination of Brahmins a la Jews in Hitler's Germany. The man who never hid his prejudices no wonder chose black shirt for his party members after the infamous Blackshirts of Fascist Italy. 

Anywhere else EVR would be cancelled and the woke brigade would be all over anyone claiming to be his follower. The man grandiosely organised events in which idols of Hindu gods were broken and their images beaten with slippers. And this is somehow seen as an act of rationality. That is how topsy-turvy is the politics of the state. 

It may be chastening to know that the peerless Tamil actor Sivaji Ganesan, who was once a member of the DMK, was forced to quit the party just because he paid a visit to the Tirupati temple. The kind of name-calling that Sivaji was subjected to then is among the most sordid events in the political annals of the state.

It is India's tragedy that such a vituperative demagogue is the demi-god of liberals. That is why it is impossible to take Indian liberals seriously, even though liberalism as an ideology is worth embracing.

Anyway, after EVR's death in 1973, the abrasive anti-Hindu attitude, even if it did not die down, was toned down. And much of it can be put to the arrival of the AIADMK.

There can be many criticisms of M G Ramachandran, the founder of the AIADMK, but that man was bereft of malice on religions. Unlike the godless DMK, MGR was a believer and kept these forces in check. 

Who Is Financing The Anti-Hindu Attacks Now?

It is no coincidence that the anti-Hindu rhetoric was always at its lowest whenever the AIADMK was in power. The embers of hatred were of course kept burning by the voices from the DMK and the DK. Now when the AIADMK's fortunes are ebbing it is no surprise that the anti-Hindu sentiments are at an all-time high.

In the two years since the DMK came to power, the attacks on the Hindus have grown manifold. The Brahmins have been singled out because their adherence to the religious tenets and orthodoxy is seen as the bulwark that safeguards Hinduism. Not a single day passes in Tamil Nadu when Hindus are not subjected to some of the worst forms of brazen bigotry.

As the respected writer Jeyamohan pointed out, the anti-Hindu forces led by the 'conversion lobby' have been pumping money, and anyone ready to come up with Hinduphobic ideas can quickly enrich themselves with a house and car. Anyone who even appears to defend Hinduism is quickly stamped with the tag 'Sanghi' and is silenced with impudence. 

The faults in the society of the past cannot be pinned to the chest of Hinduism. But that is the dishonesty that is being perpetrated here, the writer said. "The anti-Hindu propaganda is totally against India. In the longer run, it can destroy the Indian economy," the writer said without mincing words.  

And for this, Jeyamohan was termed 'Sanghi', even though the veteran writer is no sympathiser of the BJP and has no love lost for the party. He in fact says that Hindutva politics emboldens anti-Hindu forces. 

Anyway, Udhayanidhi's speech should not be seen in isolation. It is part of an orchestrated and meticulously coordinated assault on the soul of India. The hair-splitting that he was only batting to eradicate the caste divisions should fool no one. DMK and its leaders have a detestation for Hinduism. To be fair to them, they have never hidden that. Choosing to not spot it is our mistake.