Tamil Nadu Social Justice Minister Vanni Arasu's remarks on Sanatana Dharma on Thursday triggered a political exchange, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) criticising him and actor-turned-politician Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) distancing itself from the statement.
Speaking on the birth anniversary of social reformer and Dravidian icon EV Ramasamy, popularly known as 'Periyar', Arasu said the reformist leader was opposed to Sanatana Dharma and had made no compromise on the issue.
Arasu, a senior leader of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), also said that his party would take a vow to protect Tamil Nadu from Sanatana Dharma. The VCK is part of the political arrangement supporting Vijay's government, with Arasu serving as Social Justice Minister. He was among the VCK legislators who joined Vijay's Cabinet in May.
BJP questions Arasu's remarks
BJP leader Narayanan Thirupathy hit out at Arasu, alleging that the minister was making the remarks for "political gains and cheap publicity".
"Nobody can eradicate Sanatana Dharma," Thirupathy told NDTV.
He also said Vijay should clarify Arasu's remarks and argued that a minister should speak responsibly.
"He (Arasu) is a minister and should talk responsibly. If he is not responsible enough, I think Chief Minister Vijay has to call him and ask him to behave properly," Thirupathy said.
"If it is not so, then we will take it that this government wants these supporters who are hating the Hindu religion," he added.
TVK distances itself from minister's statement
Vijay's TVK subsequently sought to distinguish itself from Arasu's remarks, stressing that he had spoken as a member of another party and not on behalf of TVK.
"Let's be clear that he has not talked as our minister. He belongs to a different party," TVK spokesperson Amerikai Narayanan told NDTV.
Narayanan also pointed to Vijay's greetings to people on Krishna Janmashtami and Ganesh Chaturthi, saying the Chief Minister's position was distinct from that of the "Dravidian model government".
"We are very clear. Our Chief Minister, unlike the Dravidian model government, has wished the Tamil Nadu people on Krishna Janmashtami and Ganesh Chaturthi," he said.
"We believe in Periyar but not his anti-God statements," Narayanan added.
The remarks come amid an ongoing debate over the ideological positioning of TVK, which emerged as the single largest party in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly election and formed the government under Vijay. The party has sought to invoke Periyar's social justice legacy while also making public references to religious festivals.
Periyar's legacy at centre of debate
The statements were made as Tamil Nadu observed Periyar's 147th birth anniversary, which is marked as Social Justice Day in the state. Political leaders and members of the public paid tributes to the Dravidian leader across Tamil Nadu.
Periyar's legacy remains closely associated with the Self-Respect Movement, social reform, rationalism and opposition to caste-based discrimination. His views on religion and Hindu social practices have also remained a recurring point of political debate in Tamil Nadu.
The latest exchange adds another layer to the debate, with Arasu invoking Periyar's opposition to Sanatana Dharma, the BJP challenging those remarks and TVK emphasising that its own position should not be equated with that of its VCK minister.