A raging controversy over Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin’s remark on ‘Sanatan Dharma’ further escalated on Thursday after his father and Chief Minister M.K. Stalin came out in his defence and slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for making comments over the issue.
In a long statement put out on X (formerly Twitter), Stalin said Udhayanidhi didn’t call for a “genocide” of people following Sanatan Dharma as distorted by the BJP, but only spoke against the discrimination.
Stalin, who is the president of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), said minister Udhayanidhi expressed his views on oppressive Sanatan principles that “discriminate against” scheduled castes, tribals and women, with no intention to offend any religion or religious beliefs.
“Some individuals still denigrate women on spiritual platforms, arguing that women should not work, widowed women should not remarry, and there are no rituals or officiating chants for remarriage,” he said.
Stalin hit out at the pro-BJP forces for “spreading a false narrative” on what Udhayanidhi said and accused the Union ministers and BJP chief ministers of sharing the same lie.
Citing Prime Minister Modi’s statement that Udhayanidhi’s comments on Sanatan Dharma needed a “proper response”, Stalin said: “Neither the prime minister nor his his ministers have spoken on issues like Manipur or the Rs 7.50 lakh crore rupees worth irregularities highlighted in the CAG report. But they convened the cabinet on Sanatan”.
The chief minister questioned whether the prime minister “who has failed to fulfill any of his promises” was attempting to divert attention by invoking Sanatan.
Stalin also alleged that the BJP was desperate to create division within the opposition alliance INDIA.
Udhayanidhi, while addressing a meeting of the Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers and Artists Association in Chennai last week, had allegedly likened ‘Sanatan Dharma’ to coronavirus, malaria and dengue and said such things should not be opposed but eradicated.
"Few things cannot be opposed, that should be abolished only. We can't oppose Dengue, Mosquitoes, Malaria, or Corona, we have to eradicate this. That's how we have to eradicate Sanatana. Rather opposing Sanatana it should be eradicated,” he had said, eliciting sharp reaction from the ruling BJP.
Meanwhile, another DMK leader A. Raja fuelled the ongoing controversy on Thursday after he compared Sanatan Dharma to HIV and leprosy.
While speaking at a protest meeting against Vishwakarma Yojana organised by Dravidar Kazhagam in Chennai, Raja said that "there is neither a sense of disgust associated with malaria and dengue nor were they considered a social disgrace. What is looked upon with disgust was leprosy in the past and HIV in recent times...As far as we are concerned, it should be looked upon as a disease which is a social disgrace like HIV and leprosy."
Udhayanidhi’s remarks have sparked off a political outrage with the BJP accusing the opposition INDIA alliance, of which the DMK is a major partner, of being anti-Hindu.
In a video statement on Thursday, Tamil Nadu BJP president K. Annamalai said the coming elections will be fought on 'Sanatan Dharma'.
"...So the coming elections I challenge you, let's fight on 'Sanatan Dharma'. DMK says it's going to abolish 'Sanatan Dharma', we will say that we will protect and preserve 'Sanatan Dharma'. We will see where the people of Tamil Nadu are going to vote," he said.
"We know the DMK drama for many years. After you come to power, the first year you would oppose 'Sanatan Dharma', the second year you say abolishing 'Sanatan Dharma', the third year you want to brutally root out 'Sanatan Dharma', the fourth year you say that 90% of the DMK party men are Hindus. Fifth year you say that you are a Hindu... Come 2024 the DMK as a party is going to get wiped out," said Annamalai.