Secularism

Secularism in Tamil tradition is not the absence of religion — it is the equality of faiths in the eyes of the state. TVK's secularism is active, not passive: the government engages every religion on identical procedural terms, treats non-belief as an equally valid civic position, and refuses to deploy public resources to advance any single community's interests over others. This is the inheritance of Periyar — not hostility to faith, but the insistence that the state serve all citizens as citizens.

TVK has publicly refused any alignment with BJP or Hindutva politics, designating right-wing religious nationalism as its primary ideological opponent. The party's secularism is tested by this refusal: no communal mobilisation, no selective application of law based on the religion of the perpetrator or victim, and no use of state apparatus to signal majority favouritism in appointments, transfers, or public ceremonies.

Religious endowments, temple administrations, and Wakf boards are professionalised through annual independent audits, transparent board appointment rules, and grievance mechanisms accessible to ordinary worshippers. Religious institutions that receive state support or manage public assets are accountable for how that support is spent — to the communities they serve and to the public at large.