The DMK youth wing secretary and Tamil Nadu youth welfare minister claimed that Sanatana Dharma is against equality and social justice and equated it with “mosquitoes, Dengue, Malaria, fever and Corona”, adding that it should be stamped out like these ailments.
“I never called for the genocide of people who are following Sanatan Dharma. Sanatan Dharma is a principle that divides people in the name of caste and religion. Uprooting Sanatan Dharma is upholding humanity and human equality,” Udhayanidhi Stalin wrote in a message on X on Saturday night.
The controversial remarks drew widespread condemnation from BJP, with the party terming it as a “genocidal call”.
“Once again, the INDIA alliance has shown its true face, ‘Bharat Virodhi face’, the ‘Hindu Virodhi face’. This is nothing less than a genocidal call, and it has been supported by Karti Chidambaram of the Congress party,” BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said.
Union home minister Amit Shah, who was addressing a rally in poll-bound Rajasthan, said that Stalin’s remarks show that opposition bloc INDIA “hates Hinduism”.
“They say Sanatan rule will come if Modi wins. Sanatan is ruling people’s heart. Modi has said India will run on basis of Constitution,” Shah said.
Shah said that the leaders of DMK and Congress are talking about ending ‘Sanatana Dharma’ just for vote bank politics, adding that it is not the first time they have insulted our ‘Sanatana Dharma’.
BJP president JP Nadda questioned whether Udayanidhi’s statement is part of the INDIA alliance’s political strategy.
“Are you going to use this anti-Hindu strategy in the upcoming elections… You have proved multiple times that you hate everything related to our country and your ‘Mohabbat ki dukan’ is spreading hate …” Nadda said.
Rajya Sabha member and BJP leader Sushil Modi said that Udhayanidhi Stalin should be “detained and jailed” for his remarks.
“He is spreading hatred in the community. On one side Rahul Gandhi says ‘Nafrat ke bazaar mein Mohabbat ki dukaan’ and on the other side, a major leader of their ally in Tamil Nadu is saying to eradicate ‘Sanatana Dharma’ completely. This is an Anti-national act,” he said.
Union IT minister Rajeev Chandrashekhar said that the DMK leader is a classic example of a “spoiled brat, a person who has not done one day’s honest work in his life.”
“He is commenting on ‘Sanatana Dharma’, Hinduism without any worry of any response. Because he believes that his money, wealth and dynastic position put him in a situation where he can insult thousands of Indians and people from Tamil Nadu,” Chandrashekhar said.
BJP’s IT cell head Amit Malviya claimed that Udhayanidhi Stalin has called for “genocide of 80% of the population of India”.
Meanwhile, DMK ally Congress distanced itself from Udhayanidhi’s remarks, saying that it doesn’t believe in hurting any religious sentiments.
Speaking to ANI on Sunday, Maharashta Congress chief Nana Patole invoked Dalit icon BR Ambedkar’s ‘Sarva Dharma Sama Bhava’ (all religions are the same) remark, saying, “Our stand is clear. The Congress neither comments nor believes in hurting anyone’s religious sentiments.”
“We can’t take the onus for someone else’s statement. But our position has been clearly articulated,” the Congress leader added.
SC lawyer files complaint against DMK leader
A Supreme Court lawyer on Sunday filed a complaint with Delhi Police against Udhayanidhi Stalin over his remarks.
Complainant Vineet Jindal, a practising lawyer, has claimed that Udhayanidhi Maran in a speech made a provocative, inflammatory, derogatory, and inciting statement against Sanatan Dharam.
Being a Hindu and Sanatan dharma follower, my religious sentiments are hurt by statements made by Udhayanidhi Stalin called for eradicating Sanatan dharma and further comparing Sanatan with Mosquitoes, dengue, corona, and malaria, he said.
(With inputs from agencies)