TVK government’s Minister for Social Justice Vanni Arasu has courted controversy after claiming that the slogan “Jai Shri Ram” was being introduced into the Scout movement and alleging that such a development was contrary to the spirit of the Indian Constitution.
Speaking at a recent school function, Vanni Arasu said he was surprised when he was welcomed by students with what he believed was the slogan “Jai Shri Ram.” Referring to the students as members of the Scout movement, he said he felt it was his duty to point out that raising the slogan in schools was against the constitutional values envisioned by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.
“I entered the venue and members of the Scout movement greeted me with a salute. They said Jai Shri Ram and saluted me. I was deeply shocked. Raising the slogan ‘Jai Shri Ram,’ especially in schools, is against the Constitution given to us by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar,” he said.
The Minister further alleged that in northern India, “Jai Shri Ram” was being projected as a test of patriotism.
“They are creating a narrative in North Indian states that one is patriotic only if one says ‘Jai Shri Ram.’ They are even trying to bring this into the armed forces. Traditionally, when two soldiers meet, they greet each other by saying ‘Jai Hind.’ Now they are attempting to replace it with ‘Jai Shri Ram,'” he claimed.
Addressing students and teachers associated with the Scout movement, Vanni Arasu said India’s freedom struggle was fought by people belonging to different religions and communities and accused the Union government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi of promoting what he described as a “false nationalism.”
“The Union government under Narendra Modi is trying to impose a false sense of patriotism based on the ideas of ‘One Nation, One Language.’ That is why they are trying to introduce ‘Jai Shri Ram’ into the Scout movement,” he alleged.
The Minister also spoke about the origins of the Scout movement, stating that it was founded by Lord Robert Baden-Powell and was introduced in India to inculcate values such as sacrifice, courage, honesty, and discipline among students. He expressed concern that the movement was now, in his view, “losing its original direction.”
However, Tamil Nadu BJP president Nainar Nagenthran rejected the Minister’s claims, asserting that Vanni Arasu had misunderstood the greeting altogether, as reported in The Hindu.
In a statement posted on social media, Nagenthran contended that the students who welcomed the Minister were National Cadet Corps (NCC) cadets, not Scouts, and that they had raised the traditional military salutation “Jai Hind, Sriman,” which the Minister allegedly misheard as “Jai Shri Ram.”
According to Nagenthran, the Minister’s reaction exposed what he described as his “hatred towards Hinduism and the BJP.” He alleged that Vanni Arasu used a school function to launch political criticism against the BJP after mistakenly interpreting the NCC greeting.
The BJP leader further stated that “Jai Hind, Sriman” has long been the customary form of salutation used by junior personnel while addressing senior officers in the Indian Armed Forces and other uniformed services. He also noted that several regiments of the Indian Army have traditionally used battle cries invoking Hindu deities, arguing that such practices have existed for decades and do not amount to the imposition of any new slogan.
Nagenthran also took a swipe at the Minister, alleging that he was unable to distinguish between the National Cadet Corps (NCC) and the Scout movement.
Urging Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay to intervene, the BJP State president called on him to restrain his Ministers from making what he described as “anti-Hindu comments” before students. He said educational institutions should foster equality, fraternity, and national unity rather than becoming platforms for political or religious hostility.
இந்து மதத்தின் மீதுள்ள வெறுப்பு, உங்கள் ஐம்புலன்களையும் ஒடுக்கிவிட்டதா அமைச்சர் திரு. @VanniTamizhVCK அவர்களே?
சமீபத்தில் நீங்கள் கலந்து கொண்ட பள்ளி விழாவில் “ஜெய்ஹிந்த் ஸ்ரீமான்” என NCC மாணவர்கள் உங்களுக்கு வரவேற்பளித்ததை, “ஜெய் ஸ்ரீராம்” என தவறாகப் புரிந்து கொண்டு, பள்ளி… pic.twitter.com/jHEHNmajSM
— Nainar Nagenthran (@NainarBJP) July 28, 2026
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