Udhayanidhi Stalin, the youth wing leader of DMK, is in ideological soup after he posted a photo of a Vinayagar idol, decorated with a ritual garland of crown flowers (erukkam poo), at 1.54 am on Monday. The tweet has no caption, and the clay idol – usually worshipped on Vinayagar Chathurthi which was celebrated on Saturday – was being held by a young girl, possibly Udhay’s daughter. By Monday afternoon, the photo has become the middle of a political caption contest, for both DMK supporters who are critical of this display of religiosity by the leader, as well as supporters of the opposition AIADMK and its ally BJP, who have taken liberal digs at the DMK’s politics via Udhay’s tweet.
The DMK has been built on the back of rationalist politics in Tamil Nadu. Periyar EV Ramaswamy, the founder of Dravidar Kazhagam from which the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam emerged as a political group, was a staunch atheist. His follower CN Annadurai, the founder of DMK, was also an atheist – who famously said that he would neither break idols of Vinayagar, nor break coconuts for the idol. The DMK is known for stressing on the separation of religion and state.
In this context, Udhay’s wordless tweet was juxtaposed with an illustration of Periyar breaking Vinayagar statues by many of DMK’s ideological supporters.
— Udhay (@Udhaystalin) August 23, 2020
என்றுமே பெரியார், கலைஞர் வழியில், விநாயகர் சதுர்த்திக்கு என்னுடைய வாட்ஸாப் ஸ்டேட்டஸ் pic.twitter.com/IsiDPKkVJH
— Bhimamuthusamy (@muthusamysvkc) August 24, 2020
(My WhatsApp status on every Vinayagar Chathirthi, following in the path of Periyar and Kalaignar.)
இவ்வளவு எதிர்ப்புகளுக்கு கண்டனங்களு் பிறகும் இப் பதிவை நீக்காதது கண்டிக்கத்தக்கது.@Udhaystalin இது அரசியல் LKG உங்களுக்கு. PhD என நீங்களே நினைத்துக்கொள்வது மடத்தனம்.இந்த நேரத்தில் இந்த ட்வீட் உமது மூடத்தனத்தின் உச்சம்.உடனே நீக்குவீர்.இல்லையெனில் நீர் இன்னொரு முகமுத்து. @mkstalin https://t.co/lzzs4sil2x
— Kay Enn (@pushnataraj) August 24, 2020
(It’s condemnable that this tweet has not been deleted despite so much opposition. This is political LKG for you Udhay Stalin, if you think you’ve got your political PhD, then it’s foolish. At this point this tweet is the pinnacle of your stupidity. You should delete it immediately.)
What sir? What happened to rationalism, atheism? Your party used to break Ganesha statues now you are posting a Ganesha statue? https://t.co/QVHbX1zFAl
— Eminent Intellectual (@experi158) August 24, 2020
So, TN 2021 is going to be
— Mark Antony (@hunmid12) August 24, 2020
Hindutuva vs Soft Hindutuva vs Spiritual Politics !!!
(Note: Hindutuva is nothing but politicising faiths of Hindu people just to reap the vote vank of Hindus) https://t.co/nQ7af8yqnp
Periyar: https://t.co/TZjluHeEif pic.twitter.com/eLuf3U82Z2
— Ian Malcolm (@MrIanMalcolm) August 24, 2020
Speaking about the angst of rationalists on this wordless tweet by Udhay Stalin, political observer Sriram said politically, this is not a good move by the DMK youth wing secretary. “DMK should not fall into the BJP’s trap. I think the answer to RSS is Periyar-social justice, and social and women’s empowerment. DMK must confidently embrace Periyar to counter Hindutva. Periyar in his struggle for social justice left an indelible mark on TN’s politics and history.”
Criticising the photo tweet, CPI(M) member Sindhan said, “The BJP denied leave for the festival of working-class people, Pongal, and intensified the ban against Jallikattu. People's power broke their efforts. Then they (BJP) took Vinayagar Chaturthi for their politics. Only the tradition we decide to take in our hands will save the state.”
Earlier, the members of BJP posted a picture with lord Murugan and Vel during the Kantha Sashti Kavacham controversy. Drawing a parallel, Journalist Sonia Arunkumar said, “The picture posted following a pooja with vel (by BJP) and this picture (by Udhayanidhi) are similar.”
It’s not just rationalists who are taking on Udhay Stalin though – BJP and AIADMK supporters too have decided to take on the DMK man, using the photo as an opportunity to take a dig at the DMK and rationalist politics as a whole.
Lookie who is the latest Yindoo in town, it is Periyar fanboi @Udhaystalin of the DMK! Even Lemuria is turning communal Sanghi? https://t.co/PLOu8VFlD8
— Shefali Vaidya. (@ShefVaidya) August 24, 2020
Lol. The party that came about garlanding slippers to Ganesha and breaking idols
— krithika sivaswamy (@krithikasivasw) August 24, 2020
Cho Ramaswamy was right
What will happen if Hindus vote as a block. https://t.co/ifFjWDZ7Oz
நடு இரவில் தான் @PrashantKishor இந்த ஆலோசனையை கூறினாரா? படம் போட்டு வாக்கு அரசியல் செய்ய பொருளல்ல, மக்களின் நம்பிக்கை. அமெரிக்காவில் இருக்கும் @JoeBiden அவர்கள் மக்களின் நம்பிக்கையை மதித்து வாழ்த்து கூறினார், ஆனால் தமிழகத்தில் இருக்கும் தங்களுக்கு வாழ்த்து கூற தைரியம் இல்லையோ? https://t.co/E8oOHWpUfW
— Singai GRamachandran (@RamaAIADMK) August 24, 2020
(Did Prashant Kishor give this idea only in the middle of the night? This is not a thing to use for vote bank politics, it’s about people’s beliefs. America’s Joe Biden understood people’s beliefs and gave his wishes – but you, living in Tamil Nadu, don’t even have the courage to give wishes?)
Udhay Stalin’s supporters however said this is about his personal belief systems.
வாழ்த்து சொல்றதும், சொல்லாததும், சிலை வைத்து வணங்குறதும் வணங்காதது அவரவர் தனிப்பட்ட விஷயம் என்று கூட தெரியாத அரசியல் அறிவு இல்லாத அரைவேக்காடுகள் இந்த பதிவில் வந்து ஓட்டுக்காகன்னு ஒப்பாரி வெய்ப்பாங்க. அவனுங்க பக்தியெல்லாம் ஓட்டுக்காக தான அப்படியே நம்மலையும் நினைச்சுட்டானுங்க போல.
— Dhivya Srinivasan (@dhivyasridivi) August 23, 2020
(Whether one wants to wish, or doesn’t; whether one wants to worship an idol or not; these are an individual’s personal wishes. People who don’t even understand this are crying vote bank politics on this tweet. Perhaps their bhakthi (beliefs) are only for votes, so they think the same about the rest of us.)
Observers say that this wordless photo could be an attempt by Udhay Stalin to counter opposition’s allegations of the DMK being ‘anti-Hindu’ in the last few years. The criticism has been addressed by other leaders in the past, they added. In 2015, MK Stalin (now the president of DMK) refuted the allegations that the DMK was anti-Hindu, and said 90% of the party cadres were Hindus and their family members had faith in religion and god.
“There is a well-planned campaign to project that the DMK is anti-Hindu. But the family members of party leaders and cadre have faith in god. Even my wife is visiting all temples across the State and I never once asked her not to go. We do not stand in the way of those who have faith,” he told The Hindu .
“We are not against any religion. We believe in social harmony, religious tolerance, secularism and equality. It was the DMK government that performed more consecrations for temples,” Stalin said and even chanted the names of Hindu gods by saying Karunanidhi released the books such as 'Vinayagar pottri, Murugan pottri, Sivan pottri and Thirumaal pottri pottri' and ensured that archanai (chanting of mantras) was done in Tamil in the temples.