Gov Ravi's statements, seen as against the Dravidian school of thought, has often attracted severe criticism from the DMK and allies.
Published Jul 01, 2023 | 9:10 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 01, 2023 | 9:10 PM
The statement of Governor Ravi on Sanathana Dharma which is against the Dravidian school of thoughts had attracted severe criticism from the DMK and its allies, often.
A day after his tug-of-war with the MK Stalin-led DMK government over Minister Senthil Balaji, Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi steered clear of the issue while speaking at an event on Saturday, 1 July. Instead, Ravi chose to speak about the “divine mandate” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and “Sanatana Dharma”.
Participating in a private function in Chennai, Governor Ravi said that Tamil Nadu was the reason for the formation of Sanatana Dharma.
Ravi presided over the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the Chennai Raghavendra Mutt at Mylapore in the city. In his address, the said that though there are divisions in the Sanatana, there are no differences.
“Tamil Nadu was the reason for the formation of Sanatana Dharma. Tamil Nadu is a holy land, a rich land where saints and sages have lived for many years. Bharat and Sanatana Dharma cannot be separated.”
“India is not a newly-born country in 1947. The British gave us the name India. We are Bharat and that’s what the Constitution says, It has been around for 10,000 years,” the Governor said.
“If someone says Sanatana Dharma divides people, then it is wrong. Sanatana Dharma never emphasises untouchability between human beings. If you are weak, you are surrounded by enemies; if you are strong, you have friends. That is the destiny of Bharat,” the Governor said.
Praising Prime Minister Modi, Governor Ravi said that he understands what Bharat means and the power of the people.
“He (Modi) has set a course that he calls ‘Amrit Kaal’. In the next 25 years, this country must be capable of spreading the light of Sanatana Dharma to the whole world,” he said.
Of late, Ravi, in his speeches at public events, including religious meets, has extolled Sanatana Dharma and termed it bloomed in Tamil Nadu
A couple of weeks ago, while participating in the 200th Jayanthi celebrations of Vallalar at Vadalur in the Cuddalore district, Ravi said that said the identity of India is Sanatana Dharma and Vallalar was one of the brightest sons of Sanatana Dharma.
At the same function, Ravi also stated that Karl Marx had helped the British in destroying Sanatana Dharma.
On 10 January this year, Ravi, while speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the Thyagaraja Aradhana at Thiruvaiyaru in Thanjavur district, stated that Tamil Nadu has contributed to the spread of “Sanatana culture to the whole of Bharat”.
At the function, Ravi also expressed his wish for the construction of a temple for Lord Rama in Thiruvaiyaru.
In June 2022, during his address at a function organised by Ayyappa Seva Sang, Ravi said that Ayyappa seva is Rashtra Seva.
“There should be no doubt about it because this rashtra, Bharat, was created by our rishis and sages who expounded and expanded the truth in our vedas, which became our Sanatana Dharma. It is this Sanatana Dharma which built this Bharat,” he said.
In July 2022, at an event to commemorate the Vellore Sepoy Revolt, Ravi claimed that the British created a false history on the Aryan-Dravidian issue and Sanatana Dharma was the only thing that was holding together the spirit of Bharat.
The statements of Governor Ravi on Sanathana Dharma, which is seen as against the Dravidian school of thought, has often attracted severe criticism from the DMK and its allies.
About his speech on Vallalar, Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu said that the Governor had spoken about Vallalar without understanding the basic difference between Samarasa Suddha Sanmarga Neri and Sanatana Dharma. He said the Governor and was attempting to distort the principles espoused by Vallalar and bring them under the ambit of Sanatana Dharma.
He also stated that the Tamil culture and values have the capacity to function on their own and this has been proved by cultural traces of the community which lasted for thousands of years. Thennarasu also said the Governor’s views should be rejected in total.
Madurai MP Su Venkatesan of the CPI(M) said that Governor Ravi was trying to “swallow Vallalar”, who stood against “Varnasrama Dharma” throughout his life.
It is to be noted that earlier, in October 2022, the DMK and its allies, in a joint statement, condemned the Governor for “making controversial statements” and upholding Sanatana Dharma against the oath he took on the Constitution.
The joint statement said: “Sanatana Dharma promoted separate rules for every community, while everyone is equal before the law and there are no differences. The Governor should not make such statements in the future.”
The parties also called for the resignation of Ravi, stating: “You can resign from the Constitutional post and hold lectures on Sanatana Dharma.”
