Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan stated on Thursday, October 3, that anyone attempting to eradicate Sanatana Dharma would be wiped out at the feet of Lord Balaji, a Hindu deity. Though he did not name Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, he said that a remark was made by a young Tamil Nadu leader on Sanatana Dharma.

Pawan said, “Let me tell you sir, if anyone tries to wipe out Sanatana Dharma, you will be wiped out from the feet of Lord Balaji.” Devotees in North India refer to Venkateshwara Swamy, the deity, worshipped at Tirumala, as Balaji. In September 2023, Udhayanidhi had said “just like dengue, mosquitoes, malaria, or coronavirus need to be eradicated, we have to eradicate Sanatana Dharma.”  

When journalists asked Udhayanidhi about Pawan’s statement that Sanatana Dharma cannot be wiped out, he said, “Let’s wait and see.”

Pawan’s statements were made in Tirupati as part of his ‘Varahi’ declaration amid the ongoing Tirumala ghee adulteration row. The declaration consists of seven pointers including those calling for the constitution of a Sanatana Dharma board and “non cooperation to individuals or organisations that defame and spread hatred against Sanatana Dharma.” The AP DyCM spoke in Tamil as the erstwhile Chittoor district (which Tirupati is a part of) borders Tamil Nadu and several residents understand Tamil.

Pawan Kalyan’s Varahi declaration and his sanyasivastralu (ascetic robes) is part of his Prayaschita Padyatra (walk of repentance) in a seeming attempt to atone for the sin of adulteration which allegedly took place during the YSR Congress party’s (YSRCP) rule in Andhra Pradesh. It is worth noting that former Andhra Pradesh CM and founder of the TDP NT Rama Rao (NTR) had also donned sanyasivastralu as part of his political rebranding.

In a recent interview with Tamil news channel Thanthi TV, Pawan also said ‘kandippa’ (the Tamil term for ‘certainly’) to underline the fact that offences at Tirumala took place during YSRCP’s governance. Pawan Kalyan is the chief of Jana Sena party which won all the 21 seats it contested in the recently held Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections as part of its alliance with the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).