Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan reaffirmed his stance on his remarks about Sanatana Dharma at Sivagiri, clarifying that he does not consider Sree Narayana Guru a proponent of Sanatana Dharma.
Yesterday, while speaking at a conference organized by Sivagiri Mutt, a spiritual order of saints and sanyasis founded in 1928 by Sree Narayana Guru, the Kerala CM stated that there is a deliberate effort to portray Sree Narayana Guru as a spokesperson and advocate of Sanatana Dharma. He notably equated Sanatana Dharma with the caste-based Varnashrama Dharma system.
The BJP has already turned the chief minister's statements into a political issue. BJP National Executive Committee member P.K. Krishnadas, speaking at the same venue today, cautioned against attempts to distort the philosophy of Sree Narayana Guru. He described portraying the Guru as an opponent of Sanatana Dharma as defamatory.
Krishnadas emphasized that Gurudeva's teachings are deeply rooted in Indian cultural values, which align with Sanatana Dharma. He further stated that denying Sree Narayana Guru's belief in Sanatana Dharma distorts the Guru's legacy.
Earlier, former Union Minister V. Muraleedharan described the comments as an insult to the Hindu faith and challenged Vijayan to make similar statements about other religions, including the Holy Quran.
Muraleedharan further claimed that Vijayan’s speech at the conference included the assertion that “Sanatana Dharma is something to be hated.” He alleged that the CM’s remarks were a continuation of Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin’s earlier statement advocating the eradication of Sanatana Dharma.
Notably, Vellappally Natesan, the general secretary of Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP), a social service organization representing the Ezhava community in Kerala, made a comment stating that Sree Narayana Guru is a worshipful deity like any other idol. This comment was interpreted as a response to the chief minister’s remarks. The Ezhava community has traditionally been a strong vote bank for left-wing parties, especially the CPI(M). In the aftermath of their Lok Sabha debacle, the party identified the erosion of its Ezhava vote base as a major factor in its failure.
At that time, CPI(M) state secretary M.V. Govindan had strongly criticised the SNDP leadership under Natesan. Interestingly, Natesan’s son, Thushar Vellappally, now heads the BDJS, a BJP ally in Kerala. Govindan accused the BDJS of acting as a recruitment arm for the BJP, with the support of the SNDP leadership, alleging efforts to align the SNDP with the BJP. Govindan had also claimed that the SNDP was deviating from the philosophies of Sree Narayana Guru.
In fact, as early as 2021—when analyzing the results of the Kerala Assembly elections, in which Vijayan was re-elected as CM—the CPI(M) had already identified the BJP’s interest in the Ezhava vote base.
Observers say that the chief minister’s comments on Sanatana Dharma at the event organized by the Sivagiri Mutt should be seen as a continuation of the CPI(M)’s growing concerns about Hindutva’s efforts to bring Ezhava sections into its fold—a move that could strike at the very roots of the CPI(M).
