Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president K Annamalai has said that if his party comes to power, all statues of Periyar installed near temples across the state will be removed. Speaking in front of the famed Ranganathaswamy Temple at Srirangam on November 7, he said, “If there is a party that is against the people, it is the DMK [Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam]. For example, outside this very temple in 1967 when they came to power, they put up a plaque. What does the plaque say? It says ‘those who believe in god are fools, those who believe in god have been tricked. Do not believe in god.’ They have put these up outside all temples and erected flags as if they have accomplished something great. But Hindus are living peacefully despite this. So today, the BJP has taken a resolution standing on the soil of Srirangam. The minute BJP comes to power in Tamil Nadu, we will remove all these statues and flagpoles that say there is no god.”
Annamalai was referring to the statue of the Dravidian leader, anti-caste icon, and rationalist Periyar, which is placed outside the Srirangam temple. A plaque beneath the statue bears an inscription of one of Periyar’s teachings: “There is no god, there is no god, there is no god at all. He who invented god is a fool. He who propagates god is a scoundrel. He who worships god is a barbarian.” It must be noted that while there are many places in Tamil Nadu where temples and statues of Periyar co-exist, it is untrue that such statues have been placed outside all temples in the state.
The BJP president further said that after removing the statues of Periyar, the party would put up statues of Alvar and Nayanar (Vaishnavite and Savaite) saints, Tamil poets, freedom fighters, and Thiruvalluvar.
This is not the first time the BJP and the right wing has attempted to saffronise Thiruvalluvar—the celebrated ancient Tamil poet. In 2019, controversy erupted when Hindu Makkal Katchi founder Arjun Sampath draped saffron robes around a statue of Thiruvalluvar and placed rudraksha beads around its neck. The act drew widespread criticism as Thrivalluvar is largely viewed as a secular figure in Tamil Nadu.
Annamalai also referred to the ongoing Sanatana Dharma controversy, saying, “They [the DMK] say that they will eradicate Sanatana Dharma. The evil force in Tamil Nadu called DMK has said that they will not allow Tamil Nadu’s Hindus to practise Sanatana Dharma.” He further said, “All parties in Tamil Nadu claim to be the friends of Hindus, but not even one of them will say that they will remove statues that say there is no god.”
Incidentally, DMK minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, whom Annamalai was referring to with regard to the Sanatana Dharma row, doubled down on his stance calling for the eradication of the doctrine earlier this week saying, “I have not spoken anything more than what Ambedkar or Periyar did … There’s nothing wrong with what I said. Whatever happens, we will deal with it legally.”