Tamil Nadu's Finance Minister vs Jaggi Vasudev – the 'Temple War' on Twitter

The investment bank-turned politician had been vocal against Vasudev for his campaign 'Free TN Temples'

When Tamil Nadu's new Finance Minister P T R Palanivel Thiagarajan called spiritual leader Jaggi Vasudev, also known as Sadhuguru, a “publicity hound” for demanding that temples in the state be freed from government control, not many were surprised.

The investment banker-turned politician, who hails from an illustrious family that has dedicated itself for public service, had been vocal against Vasudev for his 'Free TN Temples' campaign for the past few months even when his party, DMK, was in the Opposition. The party is also opposed to the campaign.

In an interview to a popular Tamil media group in March, Thiagarajan, a staunch believer in a rationalist party, had launched a frontal attack against Vasudev seeking to know what was his contribution to temples in Tamil Nadu. Many DMK Twitter handles had amplified his tweets then in March and now.

The debate reignited earlier this week after Thiagarajan gave an interview to a Chennai-based newspaper reiterating his stand that temples should stay under government control, and termed Vasudev as a “publicity hound who is trying to find another angle to make more money.”

As content of the interview went viral on social media, many followers of the spiritual guru, and BJP leaders attacked Thiagarajan for his comments on Vasudev. For three days, the Finance Minister's Twitter timeline was flooded with responses -- both positive and negative – on his statement.

Vasudev's campaign is supported by the BJP, which wants temples to be freed from government control. Over 44,000 temples across Tamil Nadu are managed by the government through the Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments Department.

The campaign had urged the state government to authorise third party audits to determine the quality of temple management as well as to establish unambiguous data about temple properties, rents, administrative policies, day-to-day rituals and personnel appointment.

In its response, Vasudev's Isha Foundation termed Thiagarajan's statement as “unfortunate” and “trivialises the efforts and dedication of millions of Isha volunteers worldwide who are working tirelessly in service of humanity.”

As trolling and counter-trolling continued for days, Thiagarajan issued a statement on Wednesday saying he will make “no comments on the issue until any new information or further developments come to light.”

“The evidence in my possession (some public & some not) which I will share with all relevant authorities (as just a dutiful citizen), convinces me beyond all probable doubt that Jaggi Vasudev has repeatedly, consistently, and continuously violated multiple laws and statutes,” he said, while reiterating his stand that Vasudev is on the wrong side of the law.

Within hours, several Twitter handles began alleging that the minister was an Overseas Indian Citizen (OCI) and should be disqualified from holding legislatorship. “Filtered idiots have become insane from drinking too much cow urine - alleging I am on OCI card holder (who cannot even vote). Limitless stupidity,” he responded to some of the tweets on Thursday.

And in replies to some of the tweets, particularly from BJP handles, Thiagarajan reiterated his family's contributions to temples, while subscribing to the self-respect policy often quoted by Dravidian parties.

“That's where we differ, you see. My views are formed by facts and reason, & remain so irrespective of my leader's old statements My beloved leader expected Rationalism from me, NOT Cultish followership. It's called Self-Respect. You should try it some time. It is intoxicating! (sic),” Thiagarajan wrote, in response to BJP's Narayanan Tirupathy.

Tirupathy had posted an old video of the late DMK patriarch praising Vasudev at an event, asking Thiagarajan to have a look.

For the DMK, a rationalist party, Thiagarajan is the go-to person whenever BJP throws “anti-Hindu” barb at it.

Thiagarajan, chief of the DMK's IT wing, represents the Madurai (Central) constituency in the Tamil Nadu Assembly.

Before jumping into politics to carry forward the legacy of his grandfather P T Rajan, Thiagarajan had worked with some of the top financial institutions like Lehman Brothers and Standard Chartered. The present panchaloha idol of Lord Iyappan at Sabarimala was also installed due to the efforts of Thiagarajan's grandfather Rajan in the 1950s.