It is known that Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday evening participated in a ritual in the Parliament House. Twenty-one Adheenams, who are Hindu saints, participated in the ceremony.
Ever since the ceremony was held, many commentators have accused the NDA government of promoting Brahminism in a secular country like India. "India is a Brahmin Rashtra," wrote a Twitter user with lakhs of followers.
But others are reminding them that Adheenams are not Brahmins at all. Rebutting accusations of promoting Brahminical Hinduism, senior journalist Aman Sharma quoted government sources as saying that "allegations of Brahminism reek of ignorance as these Adheenams are run by communities that come under BC and OBC categories who worship Lord Shiva."
Giving a historical perspective, Ceteris Paribus wrote, "The heads of Adheenams come from a few Vellalar communities (these endogamous communities are Pillai, Tondaimandalam Mudaliyar, Shaiva Chettiyar, Karkattar Pillai, and Desikar). Brahmins are not heads but serve as priests in temples of Adheenam."
The government is facing flak for "mixing religion with public life". PM Modi, on his part, shared pics from the ceremony with delight.
https://twitter.com/SamKhan999/status/1662708984976146437
https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/1662504199354187778
