Ironically, the Congress Party, which dances to the tune of the uchch koti (upper-tier), Janeudhari, Kaul-Dattatreya gotra Brahmin– Rahul Gandhi, has time and again expressed its adherence to the anti-Hindu E V Ramasamy, popularly known as EVR and hailed as ‘Periyar’ by his followers. Today, once again the disciples of this ‘janeudhari Brahmin‘ have taken to the microblogging site Twitter to pay homage to the demagogue, who used the social evils which were then prevalent or perceived, as a capital for his propaganda.
The Congress party hailed Periyar as one of the strongest proponents against caste and gender inequality and discrimination in a tweet posted on its official Twitter handle. They further refered to him as a beacon of rationalism and self-respect.
Founder of Self-Respect Movement & the Father of the Dravidian Movement, #Periyar was one of the strongest proponents against caste & gender inequality & discrimination. A beacon of rationalism & self-respect, he inspires countless struggles against marginalisation even today. pic.twitter.com/THmiifTJkJ
— Congress (@INCIndia) September 17, 2020
The Janeudhari Brahmin-Rahul Gandhi’s fondness for the anti-Brahmin Periyar
The Congress party’s tweet does not come as a surprise because the janeudhari (sacred thread-wearing) Brahmin Rahul Gandhi has himself in the past, heaped praises and glorified Periyar, who is widely recognised as a rabid anti-Hindu, anti-Brahmin ‘intellectual’.
Periyar hated the Hindus and the Brahmins
Contrary to the Congress Party’s beliefs, the Dravidanist icon was neither a rationalist nor a humanist. In fact, he was a vehement advocate of anti-Hinduism, anti-Brahminism and a pro-British.
Many EVR apologists today indulge in the propaganda that EVR never advocated racial hatred against Brahmins. However, EVR was explicit in his agenda. The magazine Periyar edited published articles praising the ascendancy of Adolf Hitler and warned Brahmins in Tamil Nadu that they should learn from the plight of Jews in Nazi Germany and opt for course correction.
Periyar’s dislike for Brahmins was so deep-rooted in him that he was almost blinded by his intense hatred and anger directed at Brahmins. He reportedly used to tell his followers that if they ever encountered a Brahmin and a snake on the road, they should kill the Brahmin first.
Periyar hated Hindu Gods and Godesses
Moreover, Periyar was a staunch critic of Hindu Gods and Goddesses. He has, in his lifetime, spread numerous canards about the Ramayana. All his lies were directed towards slandering the God who is considered Maryada Purshottam by Hindus. His lies ranged from accusing Shri Rama of being casteist to claiming that he killed and mutilated women.
Periyar not only claimed that no ‘North Indian Brahmin’ died in the war against Ravana but further propagated that Lord Rama had married women other than Sita for his sexual pleasure. He had also claimed that Lankan King Ravana was, in fact, a Dravidian King from South India. Periyar had also burnt pictures of Lord Rama, who is one of the most revered Hindu gods. This is not all, Periyar is notorious for organizing a procession in Salem in Tamil Nadu with big cutouts of “Ram”, “Sita” and “Hanuman” garlanded with slippers.
Apart from his hatred for Lord Rama, Periyar also broke statues of Lord Ganesha.
In fact, all his deeds reflected the virtual hatred that he harboured towards Hindus and Brahmins.
Periyar was a pro-British
Apart from being profoundly anti-Hindu, it is a well-known fact that EVR and his movement were pro-British and they also supported the Muslim League in its pro-Pakistan demand. In an interview to a Tamil magazine, Anantha Vikatan, in 1965, EVR expressed how he had hoped that, given the pro-British stand of their movement, the British would hand over the authority to the Justice party.
Periyar seldom practiced what he advocated
For the uninitiated, after quitting the Congress Party, Periyar served as the President of Justice Party (1938 – 1944) in erstwhile Madras state. The party formed provincial governments in Madras state between 1920 and 1937 and it was one of the first to come up with caste-based reservations. Due to the success of Congress and internal rifts, the party declined after 1937. Periyar formed the Dravida Kazhagam in 1944.
But Periyar’s second marriage to a much younger woman and her anointment as his heir in politics sparked off a rift between Periyar and his protege CN Annadurai. Periyar seldom practised what he preached. The Dravidanist icon, who had strongly advocated women liberation and rights, had to the astonishment of his followers gone on to marry a woman who was 4 decades younger to him. A 70-year old Periyar Ramasami had married a 30-year old woman, Maniamma. Protesting against the unethical behaviour of Periyar, Annadurai and his supporters left the Dravidar Kazhagam en-masse and they founded a new political outfit in 1949 called the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).
India’s former Prime Minister and Congress leader Indira Gandhi did not approve of Periyar ideologies. She had after Periyar’s death, rebuffed the demands of his supporters to abandon Ram Leela. Following his death, Periyarists also attempted to make ‘Ravana Leela’ an annual event, to coincide with Dussehra celebrations in the rest of the country, however, the PM Indira Gandhi had not given the approval for the same, urging them to avoid arousing sectarian sentiments.
Not only Indira Gandhi, in fact, Jawaharlal Nehru had also once said: “Old and SENILE men like Periyar deserve a place more in a lunatic asylum than in public life. It is HIGH time Periyar and his followers were BANISHED from this land.”
Contrary to the views of the past leaders of the grand old party, Rahul Gandhi has gone on to openly express his support for the rabid anti-Hindu Periyar. This only goes on to reflect how shallow the Congress party under Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi have become, that for their petty politics, they actively support everyone who speaks ill of Hindu Gods and Goddesses and hurts the sentiments of Hindus.
