Stalin slams BJP for 'hating secularism' at Tamil Nadu Christmas event

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, participating in a Christmas event on Saturday (December 20), took a swipe at the BJP for its alleged hatred towards the very concept of secularism.

He alleged that the saffron party was desperate to remove secularism from the Constitution. Stalin also said the BJP aimed to destroy the nation's diversity and create an authoritarian future.

Presiding over a Christmas event, Manithaneya Magathuva Christumas Peruvizha 2025, Stalin hailed the yeoman services of Sarah Tucker, a Christian missionary of the early 19th century, in facilitating education for women of Tirunelveli in southern Tamil Nadu. The event was held by the Christuva Nallenna Iyakkam led by DMK legislator Inigo Irudayaraj.

Women's education in Southern Tamil Nadu

While praising Christian missionaries’ work in the state, he said, "It is the institutions like Sarah Tucker College that serve as the foundation for a large number of women getting educated in southern Tamil Nadu."

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"Christmas is a festival that sows seeds of faith, one that shows compassion, guides towards peace, and celebrates joy. Hindus, Muslims, and Christians should live like brothers, and such functions must help it," he said, adding that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) is the movement that truly cares for the welfare of minorities.

"It was during the regimes led by the DMK that a plethora of initiatives and schemes were implemented; a virtual golden age for the protection of the welfare of minorities," he noted.

Subsidies for minority communities

Outlining several initiatives, Stalin highlighted that the subsidy for the Jerusalem pilgrimage has been enhanced and 16 churches have been refurbished at a cost of Rs 2.15 crore. He noted that ancient churches were renovated at a cost of Rs 20 crore in 12 districts and also pointed out the government's initiative to allocate land for new cemeteries in six districts.

The CM said his government has fulfilled demands and carried out renovation and other related tasks for all without any discrimination on the grounds of religion.

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"Hence, the people of Tamil Nadu fully support his regime, and this is irritating some people," Stalin said, adding, "Many are thinking about disturbing peace in Tamil Nadu; they think of dividing the people living in harmony and turning them into enemies."

A sense of brotherhood

Digging at the right-wing organisations, Stalin said Tamil Nadu has realised that the path some organisations intend to lead people on in the name of spirituality is the path towards violence.

"A sense of brotherhood and the power of rationality are what Tamil Nadu stands for," he added.

"Our Dravidian model regime is being run as a testament to the vision of Jesus, who said that everyone should have everything they need," he said, and alleged that the BJP-led Union Government poses a threat to minority communities.

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"That is why, when they brought the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), we strongly opposed it and staged protests. However, the AIADMK supported it," Stalin noted.

BJP hates secularism

Further, the CM alleged that the BJP hated secularism and wanted to delete it from the Constitution.

"As far as the BJP at the Centre is concerned, the very word secularism is as bitter for them as the neem fruit. They are desperate to remove it from the Constitution itself. They aim to destroy the nation's diversity and create an authoritarian future of one religion, one language, one culture, one election, one party, and one leader. They are trying to implement their plan in Tamil Nadu as well, but the DMK and the state have the strength to oppose and scuttle the BJP's 'nefarious designs,'" he said.

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On SIR, the CM said the work has still not been completed.

"The BJP government ruling at the Centre will make various attempts to prevent us from voting. We will defeat all of them, and we will definitely win," Stalin responded to the SIR-related issues.

(With agency inputs)