‘Sanatana dharma like malaria, dengue…’: MK Stalin’s son Udhayanidhi sparks row
Tamil Nadu,Sept 3 : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin’s son Udhayanidhi Stalin on Saturday sparked a row after he compared Sanatana dharma with “dengue” and “malaria” and said that it should not just be opposed, but “eradicated”.
Speaking at a ‘Sanatana Abolition Conference’, Udhayanidhi Stalin said that Sanatana dharma is against social justice and equality.
“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,” he was quoted by news agency ANI as saying.
“Rather than opposing Sanatana, it should be eradicated. The name Sanatana is from Sanskrit. It is against social justice and equality,” said Udhayanidhi Stalin, who is a minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development in the ruling DMK government.
BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya hit out at Udhayanidhi Stalin for his remarks on Sanatana dharma and said he was “calling for the genocide of 80 per cent of the population”.
“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.
Notably, the DMK is a part of the Opposition bloc, INDIA, whose leaders recently met in Mumbai to chalk out strategies in a bid to take on the BJP-led NDA in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
UDHAYANIDHI STALIN CLARIFIES
Responding to the BJP leader, Udhayanidhi Stalin said he never called for the “genocide” of people who were Sanatana dharma followers.
He said he stood by his words and asserted that he spoke on behalf of the marginalised communities, who, he said, were suffering due to Sanatana dharma.
The DMK leader said he would be prepared to face any legal challenges in connection to his remarks. He stated that the DMK government will fight to uphold social justice and establish an egalitarian society under the leadership of MK Stalin.
“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 Chief Minister MK Stalin,” Udhayanidhi Stalin said.
“I will say it today, tomorrow and forever — our resolve to stop Sanatana dharma from the Dravidian land would not reduce even a bit,” he further said.
-PTI
