The mist-shrouded peak of Chamundi Hill has witnessed centuries of devotion. For generations, the rhythmic chants, the sacred fire of the homa, and the unwavering faith of millions have risen towards the sanctum sanctorum of Goddess Chamundeshwari, the divine protector of Mysuru. The Mysuru Dasara is not merely an event; it is the living, breathing heartbeat of a dharmic tradition, a grand narrative of the victory of good over evil that traces its lineage to the Vijayanagara emperors.

But today, a different sound echoes from the corridors of power in Karnataka. It is the sound of a deliberate, calculated dismantling.

The Congress government’s decision to have Banu Mushtaq, a Muslim author with a record of critiquing Hindu traditions, inaugurate the 2025 Mysuru Dasara is not an isolated event; it is part of a systematic secularization and distortion of Hindu festivals by a Left-Congress-Dravidianist axis bent on erasing their dharmic identity. This campaign to secularize Hindu celebrations, while painting them merely as “cultural” events, is a direct assault on India’s civilizational continuity.

Let’s examine this in detail.

Congress Decision To Invite Banu Mushtaq For Mysore Dasara Festival

The Congress government in Karnataka has chosen provocation over preservation. By inviting International Booker Prize-winning Kannada author Banu Mushtaq to inaugurate the 2025 Mysuru Dasara celebrations, it has thrown open a familiar question: Why is the political establishment so desperate to strip Hindu festivals of their dharmic identity?

Dasara is not a generic carnival. It is not just a “Naada Habba.” It is a Hindu Dharmic Utsava, rooted in the worship of Chamundeshwari Devi, the presiding deity of Mysuru. Every ritual, every procession, every symbol of Dasara points back to Devi, to the victory of dharma over adharma. The Vijayanagara kings celebrated it, the Mysuru Wadiyars revived it in 1610, and the royal family continues to lead its ceremonies. As far back as the 16th century, travellers like Domingo Paes were awed by the grandeur of Dasara – its religious core was unmistakable.

And yet, the Congress government wants us to believe that Dasara is “secular” – a cultural jamboree to be inaugurated by anyone, regardless of their faith or respect for Devi. Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar even went so far as to say that Chamundi Hill and Goddess Chamundeshwari do not belong to Hindus.

By doing so, DK Shivakumar wasn’t preaching inclusivity. He was committing cultural appropriation. He was denying the very theological foundation upon which the festival stands. He was, in effect, saying that the reverence for Durga and the worship of the Devi are merely cultural artifacts, empty symbols to be filled with whatever meaning the state deems politically convenient.

In the 2023 video, Banu Mushtaq voices her sense of exclusion from Kannada cultural spaces. She says that though Kannada is celebrated as Bhuvaneshwari with flags and rituals, she as a minority woman was denied the chance to speak Kannada even at home. She likens her exclusion to seating “Kannada Amma” on a bench despite worshipping her as a goddess, calling it hypocrisy, cruelty, and a form of violence. Addressing Kannada leaders, she accuses them of sidelining her while glorifying the language through festivals and councils, stressing that her marginalisation began long ago and is now reaching completion.

The so-called Anti-Communal Task Force, the Hate Speech Bill, the Rohith Vemula Bill pushed at Rahul Gandhi’s insistence, the dubious Dharmasthala SIT, and now the Congress government’s decision to have Smt. Banu Mustaq – who has openly expressed her opposition to the worship of… pic.twitter.com/W8BqIWmfCa

— Tejasvi Surya (@Tejasvi_Surya) August 25, 2025

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah dismissed those objecting as “religious fanatics,” calling the festival a “celebration for all communities.” But the facts do not change:

The inauguration beginning with puja at Chamundi Hill is an act of worship. The royal family leading the rituals is not as a cultural performance, but as a dharmic duty.

The Kerala Blueprint: The Onam Precedent

Onam is a Hindu festival rooted in the Bhagavata Purana and other texts, commemorating the annual visit of King Mahabali, the benevolent Asura ruler, and the divine act of Bhagwan Vamana, an incarnation of Vishnu. According to Hindu scriptures, after the Devas lost their kingdom to Mahabali, Vishnu was born as Vamana to Aditi and Kashyap. During Mahabali’s Ashwamedha Yagna, Vamana asked for three paces of land. Expanding into Trivikrama, He measured the earth with one step and the heavens with another. With no space left, Mahabali offered his head, upon which Vishnu sent him to Sutala but granted him the boon of visiting his subjects once a year, celebrated as Onam.

Historical records like the 9th-century Chera copper-plates, the Malabar Manual, and writings of Francis Day, as well as Sangam literature, confirm Onam’s antiquity as a Hindu festival linked to Vishnu and Mahabali. The festival is observed with rituals, feasting (Onasadya), and cultural celebrations.

But the Left-ecosystem, in its relentless drive to create a deracinated, secular populace, systematically scrubbed it clean. Onam was stripped of its dharmic roots and repackaged as a generic “harvest festival” or a celebration of “Kerala’s culture.” The profound connection to Vamana and Mahabali was pushed to the background, replaced by boat races and flower carpets. The soul of the festival was surgically removed, leaving behind a hollow cultural shell – a template now being ruthlessly applied elsewhere.

The Secularizing of Pongal

In Tamil Nadu, the Dravidianist machinery has been working for decades on the same project. Thai Pongal, the joyous celebration of Makara Sankranti, is a pan-Indian festival of gratitude to Surya Dev, the farm animals, and the earth itself. It is Sanatana Dharma in motion—a philosophy of compassion and thankfulness towards all forces of nature.

Yet, the Dravidianist-Left cabal first rebranded it as a solely “Tamil” festival (Thirunaal), attempting to sever its bonds with the broader Hindu universe. Then came the next step: “Samathuva Pongal” or “Secular Pongal.” Churches across the state host events where the sanctity of the Sun God is replaced by the sharing of sweet pongal, transforming a sacred rite into a food festival. Imagine stripping Christmas of Christ and calling it a “Plum Cake Festival” – the absurdity lays bare the agenda.

Churches in TN celebrate the festival, often citing Vatican’s Second General Council, which endorsed adopting local cultural practices. The Catholic Church in Tamil Nadu officially included Pongal in its liturgy in the 1990s, presenting it as a festival of gratitude and unity. Preachers have justified Christian celebrations of Pongal by separating its “cultural” aspects from Hindu rituals, claiming it as a harvest festival aligned with Biblical teachings. Some equate it to Pentecost Day, while others view it as an opportunity for cultural integration.

Jallikattu, traditionally linked to Pongal, has also been incorporated into church festivities under the banner of “communal harmony” and pushed to be viewed through a purely “sporting” lens, divorcing it from its dharmic context.

Such selective appropriation reflects the missionary strategy of “inculturation”, the DMK and Church have been deliberately de-Hinduizing Pongal, stripping it of its religious essence while presenting it as a secular, cultural celebration.

The Navratri and Garba Appropriation

Even festivals like Navratri, centered on Goddess worship, face secularization attempts. The nine-night celebration honouring Devi Shakti (Mother Goddess) through various forms including Garba dance is being reframed as a “cultural” rather than religious event.

In Gujarat, Navratri begins with Aarti of Maa Amba and involves dancing (garba) around the Goddess’s idol as a form of worship. Yet “liberal” activists demand entry into Garba events for those whose faiths consider idol worship sinful, creating the absurdity of forcing Hindu religious spaces to accommodate those who fundamentally oppose Hindu practices.

Interference Into Hindu Festivals By Courts/Govts

Targeted bureaucratic restrictions such as curbs on idol heights, processions, timings, and locations or use of loudspeakers during Ganesh Chaturthi or the timing and limit to how much Hindus can burst crackers on Deepavali – such restrictions disappear and are never imposed on non-Hindu festivals.

The pattern is undeniable and repeats with mechanical precision: First, a festival’s dharmic roots are denied. Then, it is rebranded as a ‘secular’ or ‘harvest’ festival. Finally, those who object are smeared as ‘bigots’ or ‘fanatics.’ This is not inclusivity; it is erasure.

It happened with Onam in Kerala. It is happening with Pongal in Tamil Nadu. And now, it is being attempted with Dasara in Karnataka.

Why Hindus Must Resist

The controversy in Mysuru is therefore not an isolated event. It is the latest battle in a long-running war for the soul of Bharat. The breaking forces: the Left-Congress-Dravidianist ecosystem understand that to break a people, you must first break their connection to their gods, their history, and their festivals.

They want to reduce Dasara to a state-funded carnival, where the sacred rituals are mere cultural performances and the sanctum sanctorum is just a tourist spot. They want to erase the truth so eloquently stated by Mysuru’s royal scion, Yaduveer Wadiyar, that Dasara is a Hindu Dharmic festival rooted in the Shastra & Puranas.

Without Chamundeshwari, there is no Dasara. Without Vamana, there is no Onam. Without Surya Dev, there is no Pongal.

We must see this strategy for what it is: a conscious, malicious effort to secularize, sanitize, and ultimately sever our festivals from their Hindu roots. This Dussehra, as we celebrate the victory of righteousness over evil, we must also commit to protecting the very essence of our celebrations. We must reject the hollowing out of our traditions and assert, with pride and unwavering clarity, that our festivals are not mere cultural events. They are the timeless, dharmic heartbeat of a civilization that will not be silenced.

The time for polite silence is over. The theft must be called out.

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The post The Secular Hijack: From Onam To Dasara, How Hindu Festivals Are Being Stripped Of Its Dharmic Identity appeared first on The Commune.

On July 27, 2025, popular e-commerce brand Swiggy ran an advertisement in the Jaipur Times to mark the Hindu festival of Hariyali Teej. The ad carried the headline: “Tu Teej Badi Hai Mast Mast.” The phrase, viewed by many as a crass distortion of a devotional occasion, sparked widespread criticism. Several Hindu organizations condemned the campaign, accusing Swiggy of vulgarizing a sacred festival that celebrates the divine union of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.

This incident is not isolated. Between 2016 and 2025, at least 16 major corporate campaigns have come under fire for misrepresenting, mocking, or trivializing Hindu festivals and religious sentiments in the name of marketing. These include instances of cultural appropriation, suggestive slogans, and deliberately provocative imagery used during occasions like Diwali, Holi, Karva Chauth, and others – all sparking backlash for being insensitive and Hinduphobic.

This report compiles these 16 instances, raising serious concerns about the recurring pattern of disrespectful branding tactics targeting Hindu traditions for commercial gain.

#1 Swiggy’s Anti-Hindu Teej Ad

On 27 July 2025, food delivery platform Swiggy published an advertisement in the Jaipur Times with the headline “Tu Teej Badi Hai Mast Mast” to mark the Hindu festival of Hariyali Teej. The festival, which honors the sacred union of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, was perceived to be mocked through the ad’s suggestive tone.

In the race to harness moment marketing, some brands are losing track. Teej Mata is worshipped on this auspicious day. It is not a meme material. #swiggy pic.twitter.com/ohuPBAltoi

— Shaani Nani (@shaaninani) July 28, 2025

The campaign has sparked strong backlash, with several organizations accusing Swiggy of insulting Hindu sentiments and using a sacred occasion for vulgar, attention-seeking marketing.

#2 JK Paper India Demeans Holi as Wasteful

In March 2023, JK Paper India, a paper manufacturing company, released an advertisement portraying Holi as a wasteful festival. The campaign drew sharp criticism for shaming a sacred Hindu celebration while the company itself engages in water-intensive paper production, contributing significantly to environmental degradation.

Transcript of @JKPaperIndia's Hinduphobic ad on #Holi
About 4 bln people around the globe live in water scarce areas
As many as 1 bln of these people live in India
While playing Holi, a person uses at least 2 buckets of water, which means about 30 liters of water is wasted pic.twitter.com/J1OXOxoKd5

— Manish (@manishqj) March 10, 2023

The ad was seen as hypocritical and offensive, sparking accusations of Hinduphobia and selective targeting of Hindu traditions.

#3 Bharat Matrimony Calls Holi a Festival of Harassment

On 7 March 2023, Bharat Matrimony released an advertisement conflating Holi with sexual harassment, framing the sacred Hindu festival as unsafe for women. The ad, timed with International Women’s Day (which coincided with Holi that year), was widely condemned as Hinduphobic and misleading.

This Women's Day & Holi, let's celebrate by creating safer and more inclusive spaces for women. It's important to acknowledge the challenges that women face in public spaces and create a society that truly respects their well-being – today & forever.#BharatMatrimony #BeChoosy pic.twitter.com/9bqIXZqaXu

— Bharatmatrimony.com (@bharatmatrimony) March 8, 2023

Critics noted that while claiming to raise awareness about women’s safety, the campaign specifically demonised Hindu traditions, while remaining silent or reverent about other religious festivals. The ad remains on Bharat Matrimony’s official X profile, further fueling backlash over its perceived contempt for Hindu cultural practices.

#4 Swiggy’s ‘Holi Egg’ Billboard Sparks Hinduphobia Row

In March 2023, Swiggy faced backlash over a controversial Holi-themed billboard that read: “Omelette; Sunny side-up; Kisi ke sarr par. #BuraMatKhelo. Get Holi essentials on Instamart.” The ad, perceived as mocking Holi traditions, was widely condemned as Hinduphobic for equating the joyful festival with food wastage and disorder. Critics slammed the campaign for moralising against Hindu practices while trivialising religious sentiment. Following widespread outrage, including from public figures, Swiggy removed the billboard.

Swiggy starts campaign to give Hindus gyan on Holi. Starts massive ad campaign with hashtag: #BuraMatKhelo. Same company @Swiggy is also famous for sending non-veg items to some of their customers who are staunch vegetarians & had ordered veg items: Swiggy #BuraMatBhejo pic.twitter.com/ywqCpMuNRL

— Radharamn Das राधारमण दास (@RadharamnDas) March 6, 2023

#5 Viviana Mall Labels Holi as Hooliganism Risk

In 2020, Viviana Mall posted a Holi campaign on Instagram urging people to say no to “hooliganism,” claiming the festival had seen a rise in unsafe behavior. While masked as a message for responsibility, many viewed it as a veiled Hinduphobic swipe at Holi, portraying a joyous Hindu celebration as inherently disorderly.

Critics argued that such concerns should apply universally and not be selectively imposed on Hindu festivals. The campaign, though couched in concern for safety, was seen as part of a growing trend of corporate narratives that subtly demean traditional Hindu practices under the guise of social responsibility.

#6 Livpure Mocks Holi as Wasteful in 2020 Ad

In March 2020, Livpure Pvt Ltd released an advertisement portraying Holi as a wasteful celebration. The ad featured children stealing water balloons from a shop and justifying the act by claiming they were preventing water wastage during Holi. The message implied moral superiority in sabotaging the festival’s traditional celebrations. The company faced backlash for shaming Hindu customs under the pretext of environmentalism. Notably, Livpure disabled comments on their YouTube video to suppress public criticism, a move widely interpreted as an attempt to avoid accountability for hurting Hindu sentiments.

#7 FBB’s 2020 Holi Ad Links Festival to Harassment

On 6 March 2020, FBB released an online video campaign featuring digital influencer Mithila Palkar, aiming to raise awareness about harassment. However, the ad took a controversial turn when it subtly implied that Holi enables inappropriate behavior. Palkar’s line, “par saath hi hogi thodi zor zabardasti, thodi ched chad, thodi manmaani”, was criticized for associating Holi with eve-teasing.

While the campaign intended to highlight consent, critics pointed out it needlessly vilified a sacred Hindu festival, reflecting Hinduphobic undertones. The message, they argued, could have been conveyed without painting Holi in a negative and culturally insensitive light.

#8 Surf Excel Ad Portrayed Holi As A Festival Where Hindus Harass People

In 2019, Unilever faced backlash for its ads that portray Hindu-Muslim harmony during festivals. One ad for Surf Excel detergent showed a Hindu girl protecting a Muslim boy from Holi colours so he could go to the mosque. 

#9 Reliance General Insurance Portrays Holi As Festival of Harassment

On 1 March 2018, Reliance General Insurance launched a social media campaign that portrayed Holi as a festival marked by harassment. Through a series of Instagram posters, the company emphasized incidents of eve-teasing associated with Holi. One caption read, “Behind the joyous colors of Holi lies an unfortunate reality. Press and hold to find out what it is. And pledge to ensure this year’s celebrations are truly happy and safe for us all. #HoliNotHooliganism.”

The campaign drew criticism for contributing to a growing trend among corporate brands of vilifying Hindu festivals through selective messaging.

#10 Deepavali As Smoke Festival – Priyanka Chopra & Radio City

Actors like Priyanka Chopra, who contracted asthma only during Deepavali, made her presence known by requesting every Hindu not to burst crackers to celebrate a green Deepavali.

Radio City used children and their love for crackers to promote a “smoke-free” Deepavali.

These are just a few advertisement campaigns and instances of secularization of the Hindu festival of Deepavali. Thanks to the constant virtue signalling, Hindus are rebelling more and more and celebrating Deepavali like it should be celebrated – with pomp, splendour, sweets, savouries, and lots of crackers!

#11 Deepavali As A Noisy Festival – Tata Motors, Saregama Carvaan

Since Deepavali is said to be a festival of lights, several brands came forward with ad campaigns gaslighting Hindus into not purchasing crackers. The noiseless Deepavali was one of the biggest campaigns that was run by several corporate houses. They gave excuses like make it safe for animals who get scared by the noise or make it noise-free for babies and elderly.

In 2020, Tata Motors launched the ‘Silent Diwali Film’ to promote a safe, pollution-free Diwali while encouraging viewers to adopt electric mobility for a sustainable future. The video contrasted the excitement of lighting firecrackers with the environmental harm they cause, showcasing nature’s beauty amid chaos. It emphasized that the loudest statement can be the quietest, highlighting the Nexon EV, India’s best-selling electric car, which operates with minimal noise.

The most recent one from the corporate stable is GRT group. In an advertisement in print and on their social media, they called for silence and care to make noise this Deepavali!

#12 Sexualizing Navratri/Durga Puja With Condom & Deodarant Ad (Manforce & Wildstone)

A Manforce advertisement featuring Sunny Leone on its poster was released during Navratri to promote condom sales in Gujarat. Later, due to public outrage, the company was forced to withdraw the ad following public outcry. The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) urged the then Union Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan to act against Mankind Pharma and its brand ambassador for misleading consumers. 

“Though they have not used the word condom in their banner but the intention is very clear as the combination of words like ‘play’, ‘love’ and ‘Navratri’ are coined above the large logo of Manforce“, CAIT National Secretary Praveen Khandelwal wrote in the letter. The hoarding showed Leone on one side staring at the text written in Gujarati, “Ya Navratriyon Ramo Parantu Prem Thi”- which translates to, “Play during Navratri but with love”, between two dandiya sticks and above the Manforce logo. “Their large banners in cities across Gujarat are shouting out to encourage youths to use Manforce condoms in the name of Navratri festival,” Khandelwal said. Terming the advertisement as “derogatory”, he further said: “This is a clearly irresponsible and immature attempt to boost sales by putting our cultural value system at stake.”

Wild Stone Advertisement Featuring Bengali Women (2007)

Deodorant ads often use sexual imagery and degrade women to extreme levels. Women, for years, have been protesting such obscene portrayals of their sexuality. Wild Stone deodorant was promoted in an advertisement that caused some controversy. Set amidst the backdrop of Durga Puja, it showed a married woman in traditional Bengali attire being drawn to fantasize about having intercourse with another man right after she bumps into him accidentally, courtesy of the “wild” fragrance. The Bengali community got deeply offended by such blasphemy and protested the defamation of their holy celebrations. 

#13 Dabur’s Lesbian Karwa Chauth

In 2021, an advertisement by Dabur that showed a lesbian couple celebrating Karwa Chauth landed the brand in trouble. Dabur’s new ad for its bleaching product featured a lesbian couple preparing for their first Karwa Chauth. The ad aimed to normalise same-sex relationships, but it backfired. The LGBTQ community slammed the ad for endorsing a “regressive” festival and a fair-skin obsession. The ad offended both the supporters and the critics of Karwa Chauth. The former disliked the brand’s promotion of fair skin, while the latter denounced the festival as a backward practice.

Well done, Fem/Dabur!

A nice film for a traditional, often-criticized festival by an otherwise conservative brand. pic.twitter.com/gHBTca6jP8

— Abhishek Baxi (@baxiabhishek) October 22, 2021

Karwa Chauth has often faced scorn and ridicule from the liberals. Karwa Chauth has often been criticised by the left-liberals as a festival that promotes patriarchy. By contrast, they maintain a deafening silence when it comes to calling out traditions of other religions that are patently racist, misogynistic, and regressive.

#14 The Quint Labels Holi as ‘Terror’, Glorifies Other Religions

On 3 March 2017, The Quint published an article titled “Should we allow kids to unleash terror on the streets in the name of Holi?”, linking a joyous Hindu festival with violence and fear.

This aligns with a pattern of selective portrayal where The Quint praises Islamic traditions like Ramzan fasting but casts Hindu festivals such as Holi and Navratri in a negative light. While Eid is associated with harmony, Holi is framed as a gateway to “terror.” Such headlines suggest a consistent Hinduphobic bias used to attract engagement and appease its left-leaning readership.

#15 Finolex Ad Labels Holi As Wasteful

On 21 March 2016, Finolex Pipes and Fittings released a digital ad campaign that many Hindus found demeaning towards the festival of Holi. The 10-second video featured the line, “Every drop you save, adds color to someone else’s life,” implicitly framing Holi celebrations as wasteful. While presented as a water conservation message, the ad was seen as selectively targeting Hindu festivals under the guise of social responsibility. Several viewers criticized the brand for its patronizing tone and for singling out Holi, reflecting a broader trend of corporates adopting dismissive attitudes toward Hindu cultural practices.

#16 Domino’s Ganesh Ad Sparks Outrage Over ‘More-Ya’ Wordplay

On 7 September 2024, Domino’s India sparked outrage during Ganesh Chaturthi by emailing customers an ad that many Hindus found blasphemous. The poster featured a pun on the sacred chant “Ganapati Bappa Morya,” altering it to “More-Ya” to promote pizza.

The image even depicted Lord Ganesha with a pizza as His head. Delhi High Court advocate Amita Sachdeva filed a formal complaint, calling the ad offensive and disrespectful to Hindu beliefs. She pledged legal action and shared her statement on social media. The campaign triggered widespread backlash online, with netizens calling for a boycott of Domino’s India.

Similarly, a brand named Ovenstory posted an image of Ganpati Bappa with pizza as His head.

However, this one went unnoticed.

#17 Cracker-Free Deepavali By Tanishq

In 2020, Tanishq encountered significant backlash over a Diwali advertisement featuring actors Neena Gupta, Nimrat Kaur, Sayani Gupta, and Alaya F discussing the significance of the festival. Sayani Gupta’s call for a cracker-free Diwali upset many Hindus on Twitter, resulting in widespread criticism. In light of the negative reactions, Tanishq opted to withdraw the ad.

#18 Urduizing Deepavali By FabIndia

Fabindia drew backlash with its festive collection named ‘Jashn-e-Riwaaz,’ which used Urdu, the language associated with Islamic culture, to promote Diwali attire, sparking a debate over cultural misrepresentation. The ad was later removed from the platform.

Deepavali is not Jash-e-Riwaaz.

This deliberate attempt of abrahamisation of Hindu festivals, depicting models without traditional Hindu attires, must be called out.

And brands like @FabindiaNews must face economic costs for such deliberate misadventures. https://t.co/uCmEBpGqsc

— Tejasvi Surya (@Tejasvi_Surya) October 18, 2021

#19 Brooke Bond’s Hinduphobic Kumbh Mela Ad 

In 2019, Brooke Bond faced criticism for an ad depicting a son abandoning his elderly father at the Kumbh Mela. Viewers condemned the storyline for misrepresenting the sacred Hindu gathering, portraying Hindus as neglectful and promoting harmful stereotypes.

Critics argued that the ad demeaned Hindu traditions and contributed to Hindumisia by using a revered cultural event as the backdrop for a narrative of cruelty and abandonment.

#20 Bisleri’s Waterless Holi Campaign Draws Ire

Bisleri, in collaboration with Mumbai Dabbawalas, ran a Holi campaign promoting waterless celebrations. Eco-friendly colors were distributed with tiffin boxes, and company reps handed out colors at toll booths.

While framed as an environmental message, the campaign drew criticism for selectively targeting a Hindu festival and projecting Holi as wasteful.

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The post Hinduphobia In Advertising: 20 Corporate Campaigns That Mocked Hindu Festivals And Beliefs (2016–2025) appeared first on The Commune.

Despite claiming himself as an alternative to the ruling DMK and calling the DMK as its political adversary, part-time politician and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay has once again chosen not to extend wishes for Chithirai 1—the Tamil New Year celebrated by Tamils across the globe. This marks the second consecutive year he has skipped the occasion since launching his political party.

Instead of directly wishing “Tamil Puthandu Vaazhthukkal”, Vijay struck an elusive note like a filtered Dravidian Stock extending “Chithirai Thirunaal wishes”

அனைவருக்கும் இனிய சித்திரைத் திருநாள் நல்வாழ்த்துகள்!

— TVK Vijay (@TVKVijayHQ) April 14, 2025

While Vijay previously faced backlash for ignoring Hindu festivals, he later corrected course by extending greetings for Ayudha Pooja, Saraswati Pooja, and Vijayadasami. However, his continued silence on Chithirai 1—a centuries-old tradition deeply rooted in Tamil culture—raises eyebrows.

Many see this as aligning, whether intentionally or not, with the DMK’s stance of promoting the Tamil month of Thai as the New Year instead. Critics argue that Vijay’s refusal to acknowledge Chithirai 1 reflects a subtle endorsement of the Dravidian ideological narrative, under the guise of opposing the DMK. Rather than challenging the ruling party’s cultural positions, his silence appears to reinforce them, leading some to question his true political motives.

On Chithirai 1, instead of extending greetings for the Tamil New Year, Vijay chose to commemorate the birth anniversary of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian Constitution. His gesture, however, wasn’t without political undertones—widely interpreted as an attempt to appeal to the VCK (Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi) chief Thirumavalavan. Through his official social media account, Vijay shared, “On the occasion of the 135th birth anniversary of our Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam’s ideologue, Ambedkar, I paid my respects by garlanding his statue in Palavakkam, Chennai. On the birth anniversary of Ambedkar, who dedicated his life to the people, emphasizing that not only legal rights, but also social justice, equality and brotherhood are for everyone, let us honor him. Let us resolve to eliminate inequalities in our society and maintain equality forever.” 

In the videos and photos shared by Vijay, the Ambedkar statue was surrounded by VCK-flagged stickers featuring the image of VCK leader Thol. Thirumavalavan. This has led to widespread speculation that Vijay is strategically trying to woo Thirumavalavan and potentially secure an alliance with the VCK ahead of the 2026 elections.

நமது தமிழக வெற்றிக் கழகத்தின் கொள்கைத் தலைவர் அண்ணல் அம்பேத்கர் அவர்களின் 135ஆவது பிறந்த நாளையொட்டி, சென்னை, பாலவாக்கத்தில் உள்ள அவரது திருவுருவச் சிலைக்கு மாலை அணிவித்து மரியாதை செலுத்தினேன்.

சட்ட உரிமைகள் மட்டுமில்லை, சமூகநீதி, சமத்துவம், சகோதரத்துவம் ஆகியவையும்… pic.twitter.com/JTS2U0Ue4v

— TVK Vijay (@TVKVijayHQ) April 14, 2025

Vijay has blatantly avoided wishing Hindus for Hindu festivals such as Tamil Puthandu, Vinayakar Chathurthi, and Krishna Jayanti. In contrast, he wished for Onam, Ramzan, Easter, and neutral special days such as Labour Day, Independence Day, etc.

Actions like these indicate that Vijay is also set to walk the Dravidianist ideology path and further strengthen the claims that his party is only DMK 2.0. In that case, Vijay should consider renaming his party from Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam to Dravida Vettri Kazhagam.

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The post Vijay Goes The DMK Way In Not Wishing For Tamil New Year appeared first on The Commune.