Opinion Karthigai Deepam controversy: By invoking Lord Murugan, BJP is trying to Tamilise itself
The party’s efforts shed its image as a North Indian party by invoking folk deities show that it has not grasped the operational logic of modern Tamil polity
With the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court endorsing the single judge order that permitted devotees to lighting of Karthigai Deepam atop the contentious stone pillar, the BJP seized another opportunity to project itself as the champion of Tamil devotional legacy Written by R Thirunavukkarasu
The Bharatiya Janata Party, in its desperation for electoral success in Tamil Nadu, puts its faith not only in alliance arithmetic but also religious symbolism. This became quite obvious once again in the recent Thiruparankundram Karthigai Deepam festival issue. For quite some time, the party has been trying to invoke the devotional legacy of Tamil deity Lord Murugan/ Subramanian Swamy/Kartikeya/Skanda. Now, with the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court endorsing the single judge order that permitted devotees to lighting of Karthigai Deepam atop the contentious stone pillar, the party seized another opportunity to project itself as the champion of Tamil devotional legacy. Since the party’s meteoric rise in the Hindi heartland was largely attributed to its successful Ram temple campaign, the party seems to be keen to replicate a similar modus operandi in Tamil Nadu. However, the party’s unwillingness to invoke Ram’s religious legacy in TN is quite intriguing.
One of the finest classical literary works in Tamil is the Ramayana, authored by Kambar sometime in the twelfth century. It is popularly called Kamba Ramayanam. Contrary to the popular opinion that TN is culturally anti-North, the state has an organisation — Kamban Kazhagam (Kamban Academy) — to popularise Ramayana. It was established in 1939 by some of the prominent Tamil literary scholars. In many major cities, the Kamban Kazhagam organises regular lectures on Ramayana even today. It has also gone global, thanks to the enthusiastic Tamil diaspora. Notably, the experts on Kamba Ramayana include eminent jurist M M Islamil, R W A Jesudasan and some prominent political figures from non-Hindutva parties. This gives testimony to the enigmatic character of a text that transcends its religious character, yet remains an impeccable literary work. In many literary debates and discussions in schools, colleges and public events, Kamba Ramayanam is repeatedly recited and quoted. Thus, a seamless everydayness is practised.
However, of the 40,000 temples administered by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment department in the state, not many Ram temples are found, but Kamba Ramayanam is hugely popular as a literary text.
In hindsight, some may argue that Kamban Kazhagam was established by a few wealthy non-Brahmin scholars as a reaction to the virulent atheistic campaign by the Self-Respect movement. Periyar E V Ramasamy’s rationalist campaign was unprecedented and rattled the socio-cultural status quoists. What emerges as the obvious consequence of the confrontation between the two streams of thought is that Kamba Ramayanam has been pushed into the realm of scholarly and literary domain, far away from religious connotation.
It is indeed the actual corollary of a modern worldview quite akin to the upheaval of post-Renaissance Europe, where the philosophical essence of many ecclesiastical texts was culled out, and secularisation of knowledge became the axiomatic principle of modern academia. In fact, the churning during the Renaissance in Europe emboldened its literati to discern philosophical discourses from dogmatic theological expositions. The Tamilised Ramayanam perhaps effortlessly evolved into an antidote for religious fanaticism that tried to establish its political supremacy by divinising textual characters. It is therefore an arduous task for the BJP to invoke Lord Ram’s legacy to mobilise people for its electoral dividends.
The party subsequently tried its luck with Vinayaka/Ganesh Chaturthi festivals by taking out processions with idols of Lord Ganesh. The excessive pan-Indian character of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival did not go well with the electorate in the state, where pride in the Tamil language and its celebration are non-negotiable. Thus Lord Murugan emerged as a plausible option for the party. In order to reinvent itself as a Tamilised Hindutva outfit, the BJP sought to mobilise people by selectively appropriating Lord Murugan’s devotional legacy.
In 2020, the state president of the party launched the Vel (spear) yatra, planning to connect all six holy abodes of Lord Murugan. Following the seemingly unimpressive outcome of this yatra, Hindutva outfits organised a conference of Lord Murugan devotees in Madurai in June 2025. With assembly elections scheduled in the state this year, the BJP has sought to secure its position as the custodian of an authentic Tamil deity.
The recent controversy over the Karthigai Deepam festival and the legal wrangling are part of the party’s determination to Tamilise itself and to shed its image as a north Indian party.
However, the BJP’s apparent failure to comprehend the socio-cultural and political fabric of the state is quite discernible. The fundamental character of the Dravidian legacy since the early 20th century has been the division between the private and public domains, and more importantly, providing a solid cultural sanction for distrusting history. Thus, the challenge is quite formidable both ideologically and electorally for the BJP. The party’s efforts to Tamilise itself by invoking folk deities seem to be futile as the operational logic of modern Tamil polity is embedded in certain nuanced principles of modern ethics. That’s difficult for the BJP to comprehend.
The writer teaches at the Department of Sociology, University of Hyderabad
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