He said the party only opposed fundamentalists who arrogated to themselves the role of protectors of religion.

DMK president M. Karunanidhi said the Dravidian movement accepted the ideas of Vaishnavite philosopher-saint Ramanuja because he transcended religion and caste, and wanted all communities to be treated equally.

Mr. Karunanidhi is penning the script for a television series on Ramanuja, the 11 century proponent of Visishtadvaita. In an interview to The Hindu , he said the saint was a revolutionary who took religion to the masses. “He showed through his life that the oppressed and backward communities were not those to be hated and sidelined,” Mr Karunanidhi said. He added that propagating this idea was the greatest of Ramanuja’s social reforms.

Dismissing accusations that the DMK was against Hinduism, Mr Karunanidhi said the party only opposed fundamentalists who arrogated to themselves the role of protectors of religion.