A seminar on honour killings held in Mylapore has triggered controversy after Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) deputy general secretary Vanni Arasu made provocative remarks about Hinduism, Lord Rama, and PMK founder S. Ramadoss. He repeated the comments made on Lord Rama and connected it to Dr Ramadoss.
Speaking at the seminar, Vanni Arasu claimed that the Hindu epic Ramayana itself contained caste-based oppression, citing the episode of Rama killing Shambuka, a lower-caste ascetic. He alleged that the act symbolised killings done to preserve Sanatana Dharma and the varna system. He said, “There is a prime character in Ramayana. There was a Brahmin outside Rama’s palace. He laments with his dead child on his lap. Rama your governance has gone bad. Rama came out of the palace and enquired. They are doing bad things in the name of Dharma. The Brahmin said go see in the jungle. Rama went to the jungle with his sword and horse. There he finds a man hanging upside down from a tree. Rama asks him, ‘Who are you? What are you doing?’ The man replies, ‘I am doing penance. My name is Shambuka. I belong to the Vettuva community, a tribal caste.’ Rama then asks, ‘How can a person of low caste perform this dharma? Dharma is for each caste separately. How can you cross that boundary?’ And then Rama cuts off his head. The story even says that the blood from this act revived a dead child.”
He argued that honour killings were rooted in the same ideology, saying, “Behind such murders, behind these so-called honour killings, lies a theory. That theory is Sanatana Dharma, the Varna system. This is what Dr. Ambedkar said must be destroyed. Hinduism is a religion that should be destroyed. There is no equality in Hinduism, there is no social justice in Hinduism. That is why Ambedkar converted out of it. So where does this violence come from? It comes from the need to protect Varna. This is the subtle politics at play. Rama was not a Brahmin, but he killed for Brahmins. Ramadoss is not a Brahmin, but he acts to uphold Brahmin ideology. Both are the same. Rama is one, Ramadoss is one. This ideology continues even today. Many are still absorbing it. That is the truth.”
His comments have sparked sharp reactions, with critics accusing him of denigrating Hindu beliefs and targeting Ramadoss. Supporters, however, claimed he was highlighting caste oppression and the ideological roots of honour killings.
Reacting to this statement, BJP leader K Annamalai took to his X handle and slammed it. He wrote, “What connection does Ramayana have to Honour Killing? Have the I.N.D.I. Alliance members lost their senses? The parties in the I.N.D.I. Alliance have a deep hatred for Sanatana Dharma. Here is a VCK leader (a Member of the I.N.D.I. Alliance) speaking about a piece of fiction, the Uttara Kanda, that was never part of the Valmiki Ramayana. And this Kanda is not included in the Ramayana written by the Tamil Poet Kambar. Yet, such distortions are shamelessly paraded to malign our civilisational ethos. This is the sick political discourse of DMK & its allies in Tamil Nadu. And let it be said clearly. Sanatana Dharma has withstood countless assaults for millennia and will endure these politically motivated attacks.”
Who Is VCK Leader Vanni Arasu?
Vanni Arasu, the Deputy General Secretary of the VCK and a close ally of the DMK, has built his political career not on genuine service but on manufactured outrage, caste baiting, and dangerous alliances.
A man who claims Dalit identity while accused of misusing SC benefits after converting to Christianity, he routinely spews venom against the RSS and Indian nationalism, even glorifying separatist movements.
His record is littered with casteist slurs on the judiciary, vile personal attacks on political opponents, and photo-ops with convicted terrorists like SA Basha of the Coimbatore bombings.
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