Tamil Nadu Minister and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) leader Aadhav Arjuna has set off fresh political debate in the state after clarifying his party’s position on religion and Hindutva. Speaking in Chennai on May 14, 2026, Arjuna said the TVK respects all religions equally but remains opposed to Hindutva and to the caste system. His remarks came during a week in which the “Sanatan Dharma” debate resurfaced in the Tamil Nadu Assembly.
Hindu versus Hindutva
Arjuna drew a distinction between religious faith and the political ideology he was criticising. “TVK is against caste system, inequality, but we respect every religion equally,” he said, adding, “we aren’t against Hindus, but against Hindutva.” He has previously described the BJP as the TVK’s “ideological enemy” and the DMK as its main “political enemy.”
BJP’s response
The comments drew a sharp response from Tamil Nadu BJP president K. Annamalai, who accused both the DMK and the TVK of hostility toward Hindu beliefs and called them “two sides of the same coin” using religious issues to distract from governance. He argued on X that the parties should have stated openly during their campaigns if targeting “Sanathana Hindu Dharma” was central to their politics. BJP spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathy similarly accused the Vijay-led government of staying silent while its leaders made such statements.
How the row began
The controversy started during Udhayanidhi Stalin’s maiden speech as Leader of the Opposition in the new Assembly, in which he reiterated his earlier 2023 call to “eradicate Sanatan Dharma,” describing it as divisive. TVK MLA V.M.S. Mustafa backed those remarks, saying his party follows the ideals of Periyar and Ambedkar, though he later clarified that the party is “not against any religion.” The BJP has continued to direct its criticism at Chief Minister Vijay over the statements by members of his cabinet, leaving the new administration to balance its Dravidian roots with the varied religious sentiments of its voters.
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