Tamil Nadu Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development Udhayanidhi Stalin on Saturday sparked a new political row after he compared "Sanatana dharma" with dengue and malaria and said that it should eradicated and not merely opposed.
Speaking at a 'Sanatana Abolition Conference' organised here by the Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers Artists Association, Udhayanidhi, who is the son of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, said that Sanatana dharma is against social justice and equality.
'Sanatana should be eradicated'
"I thank the organisers of this conference for giving me the opportunity to deliver a special address. You have kept the name of the conference as 'Sanatana Abolition Conference' rather than 'Anti-Sanatana Conference', I appreciate that," he was quoted by news agency ANI as saying.
"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 said
"Rather than opposing Sanatana, it should be eradicated. The name Sanatana is from Sanskrit. It is against social justice and equality," said the minister.
Calling for genocide of 80% population
Responding to his remark, BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya slammed Udhayanidhi Stalin and he was calling for the genocide of 80 per cent population of India, who follow Sanatan Dharma. "Udhayanidhi Stalin, son of Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin, and a minister in the DMK government, has linked Sanatana dharma to malaria and dengue. He is of the opinion that it must be eradicated and not merely opposed. In short, he is calling for the genocide of 80 per cent population of Bharat, who follow Sanatana dharma. DMK is a prominent member of the Opposition block and a long-standing ally of the Congress. Is this what was agreed in the Mumbai meet?" Amit Malviya wrote on X.
Udhayanidhi stands by his words
Later responding to the BJP leader, the Tamil Nadu Minister said that he never called for the genocide of people who are following Sanatan Dharma. He stood by his words and said he is “ready to face any legal challenge”. “Sanatan Dharma is a principle that divides people in the name of caste and religion. Uprooting Sanatan Dharma is upholding humanity and human equality. I stand firmly by every word I have spoken. I spoke on behalf of the oppressed & marginalized, who suffer due to the Sanatan Dharma,” the DMK leader wrote on X.
“I am ready to present the extensive writings of Periyar and Ambedkar, who conducted in-depth research on Sanatan Dharma and its negative impact on society in any forum. Let me reiterate the crucial aspect of my speech: I believe, like the spread of diseases like COVID-19, Dengue, and Malaria by mosquitoes, that Sanatan Dharma is responsible for many social evils,” he added.
'Ready to face any legal challenge'
In another X post, Udhayanidhi said he was ready to face any legal challenge. "Bring it on. I am ready to face any legal challenge. We will not be cowed down by such usual saffron threats. We, the followers of Periyar, Anna, and Kalaignar, would fight forever to uphold social justice and establish an egalitarian society under the able guidance of our CM MK Stalin. I will say it today, tomorrow, and forever: Our resolve to stop Sanathana Dharma from the Dravidian land would not reduce even a bit," Udhayanidhi said.
Tamil Nadu is a land of spiritualism
BJP Tamil Nadu chief K Annamalai slammed the DMK leader stating, the only resolve that the Gopalapuram Family has is to accumulate wealth beyond the State GDP. "Udhayanidhi, you, your father, or his or your idealogue have a bought-out idea from Christian missionaries and the idea of those missionaries was to cultivate dimwits like you to parrot their malicious ideology," he said in X post.
"Tamil Nadu is a land of spiritualism. The best you can do is to hold a Mic in an event like this & rant out your frustration," he added.
Senior Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Vijay Shankar Tiwari condemned DMK leader's remark stating that the likes of him need to shed their "colonial mindset". "Such people should get out of their colonial mindset. 'Sanatana' means one which is eternal. It has grown through the ages and will continue to evolve," he said.
'Udhayanidhi's statement has been twisted'
DMK Joint Secretary and Spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai said that Udhayanidhi's statement has been twisted, taken out of context and the biggest fake news peddler has put out a tweet that Udhayanidhi Stalin asked for genocide. "If the Prime Minister says 'Congress Mukt Bharat', does he call for genocide? How can they say that Udhayanidhi Stalin has called for genocide? That is fake news, that is hate speech. They have to be answerable to the law for bringing up fake news and driving hatred. When we say we want to do away with 'Sanatana Dharma' it means we want to do away with the rigid caste system," he said.
"We want to do away with 'Sanatan Dharma' which perpetuates caste rigidity. They want this caste hierarchy to continue. DMK is a progressive party which wants to do away with these regressive attitudes," said DMK leader Saravanan Annadurai.
SC lawyer files complaint with Delhi Police
Meanwhile, a Supreme Court lawyer on Sunday filed a complaint with Delhi Police against Udhayanidhi Stalin over his controversial statement on ‘Santana 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.
(With ANI inputs)
