Annamalai Slams Vijayan and Stalin at Sabarimala Samrakshana Sangamam
Pandalam: Former Tamil Nadu BJP president K. Annamalai on Monday (September 22, 2025) launched a sharp attack on Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin while addressing the Sabarimala Samrakshana Sangamam.
In his inaugural speech, Mr. Annamalai accused both leaders of “misusing temple platforms” while simultaneously opposing Sanatana Dharma. He criticised the Kerala government’s Global Ayyappa Sangamam and the DMK government’s Global Muruga Conference.
“It was Mr. Stalin and his son Udhayanidhi who spoke about eradicating Sanatana Dharma. And it was Pinarayi Vijayan who invited Stalin. The Muruga Conference was held in Madurai, and Pinarayi merely replicated it here in Kerala,” Mr. Annamalai said.
Targeting Mr. Vijayan directly, he added, “Those who claim there is no God are now giving lectures on the Bhagavad Gita. If you quote from Chapter 12, at least learn that there are chapters beyond it as well.”
Citing the words of Tiruvalluvar, Mr. Annamalai argued that betraying one’s subjects and misusing laws is a more brutal act than murder. “That is exactly what Pinarayi did at Pandalam during 2018–19. Using the power at his disposal, he inflicted hardship on lakhs of Ayyappa devotees. A ruler is not supposed to act in this manner, yet today he delivers Bhagavad Gita classes,” he said.
The event drew a strong presence from BJP and Hindu organisation leaders, including BJP MP Tejasvi Surya, State BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar, veteran leader Kummanam Rajasekharan, and P.N. Narayana Varma, former secretary of the Pandalam Palace Trust, who served as a key organiser. The large gathering reverberated with chants in praise of Lord Ayyappa, the presiding deity of Sabarimala.
The programme, backed by several Sangh Parivar-affiliated groups, was seen as a parallel event to the Travancore Devaswom Board’s Global Ayyappa Sangamam held at Pampa on September 20.
Pandalam, in Pathanamthitta district, is one of only two civic bodies in Kerala currently ruled by the BJP. The party’s win in the 2020 local body elections there was largely fuelled by momentum from the 2018 Sabarimala protests. Whether this latest round of mobilisation will gain similar traction remains to be seen.