New Delhi [India], February 15 : Congress MP Karti Chidambaram on Sunday dismissed claims that Tamil Nadu is hostile to Sanatan Dharma, asserting that the term carries a different connotation in the state and is often associated with caste hierarchy rather than religious practice.
In an exclusive interview with ANI, Chidambaram questioned the widespread use of the term "Sanatan," saying it is not commonly used in Tamil Nadu.
"What is Sanatan? That is not a term which anybody in Tamil Nadu uses...We are more Hindu than the North Indians. Per square kilometer, we have more temples. We break more coconuts every day," he said, adding that he visits temples frequently.
"I go to more temples than a lot of people collectively in the BJP," he claimed.
"There is not a single day I would step out of the house without putting vibhuti or kundalama. 'Sanadharan Dharma' is not a term we use," he remarked.
Referring to his upbringing, Chidambaram said he grew up in a religious household influenced by his grandparents.
"I grew up in a way, my grandparents were very religious. My faith, my parents are not, but my grandparents were very religious. My grandmother didn't take me to the puja room and say, come, let's practice Sanatana," he said, suggesting that spirituality in Tamil Nadu is deeply rooted even if the terminology differs.
Referring to the controversy triggered in 2023 by remarks from Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, Chidambaram said the issue arose from differing interpretations of the term.
"This whole thing became a controversy because Udhayanidhi Stalin said something against this term...In Tamil Nadu, that term means caste hierarchy. That is how we use it," he said.
Highlighting that in popular parlance in the state, "It means caste hierarchy. He was only talking about caste hierarchy. Nobody talks about the practice of the Hindu faith."
In 2023, Udhayanidhi had compared "Sanatana" to diseases such as malaria and dengue and said it should be "eradicated" rather than opposed, sparking a nationwide political debate.
Tamil Nadu Minister said, "Sanatana is like malaria and dengue, and so it must be eradicated and not opposed. I thank the organisers of this conference for giving me the opportunity to deliver a special address. You have kept the name of the conference as 'Sanatana Abolition Conference' rather than 'Anti-Sanatana Conference', and I appreciate that. Few things cannot be opposed; those should be abolished only. We can't oppose Dengue, Mosquitoes, Malaria, or Corona, we have to eradicate them that's how we have to eradicate Sanatana. Rather than opposing Sanatana, it should be eradicated," Udhayanidhi said.
Chidambaram maintained that in popular parlance in Tamil Nadu, the term is linked to caste hierarchy and not to the broader practice of the Hindu faith.
"There is no prohibition on the practice of the faith in Tamil Nadu. Absolutely none. Nobody can say, be it from any community, any socio-economic group, to say, my practice of the faith is fettered in Tamil Nadu," he said.
Responding to criticism that the Dravidian political model amounts to "Karunanidhi family plus anti-Brahmanism," Chidambaram strongly rejected the charge.
"There is no anti-Brahmanism. This false victimhood of the Brahmins must stop," he said.
"Where is the violence against the Brahmins? Brahmins are among the most privileged people in this country, and they are very privileged in Tamil Nadu too," he added.
Congress MP Chidambaram also argued that members of the Brahmin community hold prominent positions across professions, including industry, law, medicine, cinema and government. "There has been no genocide against Brahmins. There is no violence against Brahmins. There is no threat to the safety of Brahmins in Tamil Nadu. Nobody is disrupting any ritual of the Brahmin in Tamil Nadu," he said.
The Congress leader reiterated that narratives portraying Brahmins as victims in Tamil Nadu are "completely erroneous" and insisted that religious freedom remains intact in the state.
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