A Christian preacher, known for his controversial remarks, has said that Tamil Nadu is a stronghold of demon (satan) as no other state in India. Mohan Lazarus, the preacher, told a prayer meeting of Christians that “Only in Tamil Nadu you can see big temples which are satan’s strongholds. There are no places like Tamil Nadu where there are temples, its towers and places. Why has Satan targeted Tamil Nadu and made it his stronghold?”

Lazarus, who had a role in the anti-Sterlite protests in Thoothukudi where he asked Christians to demand the closure of the Sterlite plant there, further said: “In other cities, there are Birla mandirs. Only they are huge because it has been built by a corporate house for his own popularity. Otherwise in North India, you can see some big temples like the Golden Temple in Amritsar.”

Referring to Kumbakonam, popular for its various temples in Tamil Nadu, the preacher, who owns Tamil television channel Sathiyam TV, said: “You can see how Satan has strengthened his borders. If you go to Kumbakonam, we can see Satan has gained roots in a way in which we cannot digest.”.

He also took a potshot at Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam, saying after conducting yagnas, the people were falling at the feet of a human (Sankaracharya). “I went inside and saw two men performing Yagnas with silk saree and dhoti. “The root is worshipping human not the gopurams (temple towers) or any other power,” he said.

The video has stirred a controversy on social media with some even demanding that Tamil Nadu police file a case against Lazarus for hurting the sentiments and feelings of Hindus. One person wondered on social media: “How has a man who was living in a hut at Nalumavadi village in Thoothukudi district earned property worth thousands of crores and own television channel?”