140-seat Kerala Assembly goes to polls around April 2026 ... Politics building up .... :::: "Narayana Guru was never a propagator or practitioner of Sanatan Dharma" - Kerala' s Marxist CM

All these must be seen from the perspective of fast approaching assembly elections in Kerala in 2026. 

Kerala CM's remarks on Sanatana Dharma, prompted by the BJP’s increasing outreach to Narayana Guru's followers in an effort to make electoral inroads in Kerala, provided the BJP with the perfect opportunity to counter the veteran Marxist.

Congress leader V D Satheesan also criticised Vijayan's remarks, saying that they were misleading and attempted to associate Sanatana Dharma exclusively with the Sangh Parivar. 

Satheesan held that Sanatana Dharma is a part of India's cultural heritage, encompassing Advaita philosophy, the teachings of the Vedas, and the Upanishads.

Vijayan also said that there was growing support for the idea that Sanatana Hindutva is a great and glorious tradition and that “its restoration is the only solution to all social problems.” 

The Bharath Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS), founded in 2015, which is the political wing of SNDP Yogam, is an NDA partner. 

Thushar Vellappally, who heads the BDJS, has aligned with the BJP. In the 2016 and 2021 Assembly polls, the BDJS contested 36 and 21 seats respectively under the NDA banner, with a seat sharing with the BJP.

Narayana Guru is a venerated figure for the Ezhavas, Kerala’s largest Hindu voting bloc that is between 20-25% of the state. It is said that the Ezhava community, which is classified as an Other Backward Class (OBC) and is represented by the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP), has been holding a considerable political weight.

Although the SNDP, primarily a commuinty organisation, had previously considered launching its own political party, it never followed through. However, it allowed its followers the freedom to pursue political ventures and is said to have supported political parties in the past.

Traditionally, the Ezhava community have sided with the left parties in Kerala. However, that is visibly eroding.

The CPI-M is in power in the state for last two terms. Generally Kerala changed government every five years.

This norm was given a break in 2021. 
Rahul Gandhi-led Congress lost the opportunity.  Now for 2026, the battle will warm up. The BJP is now an emerging force and hence the battle is going to be all the more exciting.  

This actually explains the logic behind -- Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan's comments on Sanatana Dharma and the 'influential' Narayana Guru. 

The veteran Marxist says - "Narayana Guru was never a propagator or practitioner of Sanatan Dharma. Instead, he was someone who tried to reconstruct Sanatan Dharma for the new age".  

Vijayan argument is that Narayana Guru was neither a spokesperson nor a practitioner of Sanatana Dharma. According to Vijayan, Narayana Guru's philosophy transcended such systems and was rooted in the betterment of people irrespective of their religion or caste.

Vijayan’s remarks on Sanatana Dharma, prompted by the BJP’s increasing outreach to Narayana Guru's followers in an effort to make electoral inroads in Kerala, provided the BJP with the perfect opportunity to counter the Kerala CM.

Narayana Guru, the 19th century reformer and giant, is famous for his teachings of equality and social harmony.

Narayana Guru, who passed away in 1928, is widely respected in Kerala for his work in combining spiritual teachings with social reform. He was a staunch advocate for the eradication of caste-based discrimination and promoted the principles of equality, compassion, and social justice. Hence, the title, ‘Samdarshi’.

"One caste, one religion, one God for all humanity," was the Guru’s mantra.

So why is Narayana Guru and his teachings, with emphasis on the Sanatana Dharma, being invoked in politics after almost a century of his death? How do the followers of Narayana Guru continue to hold political sway in Kerala?