Allegations have been levelled against DMK ally VCK’s candidate Vanni Arasu of illegally contesting from a constituency reserved for Hindu SCs despite being a Christian. His father had recently passed away and the pictures posted by him show that he was buried as per Christian customs.

Vanni Arasu is a member of Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, an ally of DMK. He contested from a SC reserved constituency Vanur in Villupuram and lost to the AIADMK candidate in the 2021 assembly elections. However he had won from the same constituency in the 2016 assembly election. His father Rathinasamy had passed away on November 2. Vanni Arasu had posted pictures of his last rites which revealed that he was buried as per Christian customs.

Following this, allegations have surfaced that he is a Christian and that he illegally contested from a SC reserved constituency. While the pictures are no proof to assert that Vanni Arasu himself is a Christian, the possibility cannot be ruled out. In 2020, he had spoken in a live debate where he said “We take pride in our continuous campaign against Hinduism and Hindutva”.

In another debate he said that Hindu Dharma should be abolished and it will be achieved only by abolishing caste. When TNHRCE arbitrarily introduced the Annadana scheme for Covid-19 patients and their attendants in government hospitals, Vanni Arasu had demanded that non-vegetarian soups should be offered to the patients and that beef soup would be a better option as it will increase the immunity.

VCK chief Thol.Thirumavalavan is also a suspected crypto-Christian. In June, advocacy organisation Legal Rights Protection Forum had written to authorities seeking to disqualify Thirumavalavan as he had frankly admitted in an interview that he follows Christianity and that his family often attends Christian events. His sister was buried as per Christian customs. However he said that he didn’t know until her death that she followed Christianity.

Thirumavalavan also has abused Hindu Dharma many times, saying Hindu temples as ones with obscene figurines and calling for destroying Chidambaram Nataraja and Madurai Meenakshi temples. He also organised a conference to “Uproot Sanatana Dharma” in which anti-Hindu forces including TN CM MK Stalin pledged to uproot Hindu Dharma.