Udhayanidhi’s Remarks Against Sanatana Dharma Have Been Condemned Before, But There's Nothing Like Pawan Kalyan Doing It

In remarks targeted at Udhayanidhi Stalin, Andhra Pradesh's deputy chief minister, Pawan Kalyan, recently said that if anyone tried to "wipe out" Sanatana Dharma, they would themselves be "wiped out."

Kalyan made the remarks while addressing a gathering in Tirupati after presenting the ‘Varahi declaration’ to save Sanatana Dharma.

The reference was to Udhayanidhi’s equating of Sanatana Dharma to diseases like dengue and malaria and calling for its eradication in a speech last year. His statements had drawn widespread condemnation.

Kalyan said the courts are very sensitive about remarks on other religions, but do not react similarly when Sanatana Dharma or Hinduism is defamed.

These are strong remarks by Kalyan, not very different from what some other politicians have said on the matter. However, there are several reasons why Kalyan's raising this issue is significant.

Celebrity status

He has a huge fan following across the Telugu states and is also well known in Tamil Nadu. As a senior actor who is regarded highly in the film fraternity across the three states, Kalyan's prominence has only risen after becoming deputy chief minister.

A counter from outside the BJP fold

It is one thing for a politician with a Hindutva ideology from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to strongly express a counter and quite another for a non-BJP leader to do it.

Refreshing public memory

Public memory is short-lived in this fast-moving world of politics. Kalyan’s comments come as a reminder of Udhayanidhi's remarks against Sanatana Dharma amid all the chatter about his elevation to deputy chief ministership of Tamil Nadu.

Goes against DMK view

Kalyan's stance runs contrary to the view of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leaders that the use of Sanatana Dharma as a synonym for Hinduism is a ‘North Indian thing’ and also their belief that Sanatana Dharma refers to caste-based discrimination.

This critique, in which Sanatana Dharma and Hinduism are used interchangeably by a South Indian celebrity, goes against that line of thinking.

Cannot be dismissed as 'anti-Tamil'

Kalyan’s ability to speak Tamil makes a difference. Even while criticising Udhayanidhi, he delivered a part of his speech in Tamil, which resonates better with the state's common folk than a Tamil translation of similarly strong remarks by, say, a Himanta Biswa Sarma, who would have spoken in Assamese.

Further, Kalyan has deep connections to Tamil Nadu, which became clear after his recent interview with Thanthi TV. He revealed that he spent a lot of time in Chennai as he studied there and that he drew inspiration from M G Ramachandran (MGR), who had also made the move from movies to politics.

He told the anchor that he had read books about the state’s politics and that among the important things that Tamil Nadu had given him was the Skanda Shashti Kavacham (a stotra dedicated to Lord Muruga). 

On being asked if he still had friends from Tamil Nadu, he replied in the affirmative and said actor S J Suryah was one of them. “I converse with them in Tamil,” he added.

It would, therefore, not be easy to brand him an outsider or ‘anti-Tamil’, like, say, how it is done in the case of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in spite of all his efforts to show his love and respect for Tamil culture.

Influence among film peers, audiences

Lastly, people have seen how actor Karthi, his brother Surya, and their father Sivakumar (seen by many as supporters of the Dravidian ideology) apologised after Kalyan expressed his displeasure.

(Karthi had laughingly said at a pre-release event for his film that laddus were a sensitive topic and he would not like to talk about it.)

So people in Tamil Nadu, whether they like him or not, understand that Kalyan means business. 

All in all, he is unlike any other leader taking on Udhayanidhi — he is an immensely popular celebrity, speaks Tamil, does not belong to the BJP, and is someone with whom even some top Kollywood celebrities may not want to mess.

Also Read: Tirupati Laddu Issue: Pawan Kalyan's 'In Your Face Hinduism' Is Welcome In Andhra