After sparking a row over his Sanatan Dharma remarks, Tamil Nadu Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on Sunday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of ‘twisting’ his statement and spreading fake news.
IMAGE: DMK Youth Wing Secretary Udhayanidhi Stalin. Photograph: ANI Photo
Talking to the reporters in Chennai, Udhayanidhi — the son of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin — reiterated his claim of ‘abolishing’ Sanatan Dharma and said that he will keep demanding this.
“I am saying again that I only criticised Sanatan Dharma and that Sanatan Dharma should be abolished. I will say this continuously. Few are being childish saying I invited for genocide while others are saying that Dravidam should be abolished. Does that mean DMKians should be killed? When PM Modi says ‘Congress Mukth Bharat’, does that mean Congressmen should be killed?” Udhayanishi said.
He further said that he is ready for any kind of case if filed in connection with his remark.
“What is Sanatan? Sanatan means nothing should be changed and all are permanent. But the Dravida model calls for change and all should be equal. BJP twisting my statement and spreading fake news, it’s their usual job. I am ready to face whatever cases they file against me. BJP is scared of the INDIA Alliance and to divert that they are saying all this…DMK’s policy is One clan, one God,” he added.
Udhayanidhi on Saturday that Sanatana Dharma is against the idea of social justice and must be ‘eradicated’.
Stalin compared Sanatana Dharma with diseases like dengue and malaria, inviting sharp criticism from BJP leaders.
“Few things cannot be opposed; they should only be abolished. We can’t oppose Dengue, mosquitoes, Malaria, or coronavirus, we have to eradicate them. In the same way, we have to eradicate Sanatana (Sanatan Dharma). Rather than merely opposing Sanatana, it should be eradicated,” he said.
The comments triggered massive backlash on social media, with many calling for a case to be filed against the Tamil Nadu minister.
Udhayanidhi Stalin’s remarks came at a writers’ conference in Chennai where he said Sanatana Dharma cannot be simply opposed but must be eradicated.
The Tamil Nadu minister argued that the idea is inherently regressive, dividing people on the basis of caste and gender, and is fundamentally opposed to equality and social justice.
A Supreme Court lawyer on Sunday filed a complaint with Delhi Police against Udhayanidhi Stalin, Sports Minister of the Government of Tamil Nadu and son of the chief minister of Tamil Nadu over a controversial statement on Saturday on ‘Santan Dharma’.
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.
