Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan defends statement on Sanatana Dharma amid BJP backlash

Pinarayi Vijayan had said Narayana Guru was neither a spokesperson nor a practitioner of the Sanatana Dharma but had reconstructed it to suit to the new age.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday reaffirmed his statement cautioning against "organised efforts" to portray sage and social reformer Sree Narayana Guru as a proponent of Sanatana Dharma.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan addresses during the inauguration of the 92nd Sivagiri Pilgrimage, at Sivagiri Mutt, in Thiruvananthapuram. (ANI)

"I stand by what I have stated about Sanatana Dharma," Vijayan told a press conference here while reacting to a query about the mounting criticism from the BJP over his statement made during the Sivagiri pilgrimage conference held on Tuesday.

Inaugurating the conference in Sivagiri, Vijayan claimed that the Guru, who advocated "one caste, one religion and one God for people" had neither been a spokesperson nor a practitioner of the Sanatana Dharma but had reconstructed it and proclaimed a Dharma suited to the new age.

Reacting to Vijayan's statement, the BJP had alleged that the chief minister insulted Sanatana Dharma and followers of Sree Narayana Guru through his remarks in the holy land of Sivagiri.

"The crux of Vijayan's speech at the Sivagiri conference was that Sanatana Dharma should be hated. His remarks were a continuation of Udayanidhi Stalin's statement that Sanatana Dharma should be eradicated," senior BJP leader V Muraleedharan had said.

Reiterating his statement, Vijayan on Wednesday said whatever he had said is his stated position on Sree Narayana Guru and Sanatana Dharma.

"Sree Narayana Guru cannot be seen as an advocate of Sanatana Dharma. In fact, Guru played the lead role in rectifying it. You will come to know about it if you examine its history," the chief minister said.