Many Dravidian groups in Tamil Nadu have condemned BJP chief Amit Shah's tweet on 'Vamana Jayanthi'.
Times of India reports that Dravidar Kazhagam (DK) leader K Veeramani said that the "Vamana Jayanthi argument was a brahminical conspiracy of the RSS to replace the glory of legendary (asura) king Mahabali.
In a statement, he said, "Distortion of history and negative portrayal of puranic characters that opposed brahmin supremacy are consistently carried out by the saffron brigade with the support of the ruling BJP at the Centre."
“Fabrication of historical facts has become the routine practice of the historical bodies, the presidium of which has been converted as the monopoly of saffron ideologies," the statement added.
Speaking to TOI, S Seeman, chief coordinator of Naam Tamilar Katchi, said "Mahabali is not a brahmin, and that's why they (RSS) now hesitate to celebrate the asura king's annual visit to his erstwhile kingdom. It's ridiculous...Onam is not a religious festival. It's closely associated with our culture and civilization. The RSS is trying to make it a religious one. If that happens, those belonging to other religions will stop celebrating Onam. It's a dangerous trend."
On Tuesday, Shah wrote on his official Twitter account, “आप सभी को "वामन जयंती" की हार्दिक शुभकामनाएं |” (To everyone, hearty wishes for Vamana Jayanthi).
Though Amit Shah's wishes were not to Keralites in particular and Vamana Jayanthi is celebrated in places like Madhya Pradesh, many were quick to point out on social media that Shah had not wished the same in previous years.
Soon Keralites started using the hashtag #PoMoneShaji on Facebook and Twitter asking Shah not to meddle with the legend of Onam.
The controversy was started by an article published by the weekly Kesari, an RSS mouth piece, which alleged that over the years some forces intentionally spread misleading stories that tarnish the image of Hindu gods.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan asked Amit Shah for an apology. "By eulogising Vamana and denigrating Mahabali, BJP national president Amit Shah has humiliated Kerala and our festival Onam. The belief behind Onam is of equality and egalitarianism and it is a festival celebrated by all cutting across caste, creed, religion and other barriers," he said in a statement.