On Thursday (7 September 2023), Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister, MK Stalin, released a statement in support of his cabinet colleague and son, Udhayanidhi Stalin’s comments regarding ‘Sanatan Dharma.’ He stated that Udhayanithi’s remarks were directed towards the principles that promote discrimination against Scheduled Castes, tribals, and women.
In a sharp rebuttal to the Tamil Nadu CM’s statement defending his son Udhayanithi, TN BJP president Annamalai said that if something needs eradication from Tamil Nadu, it is the DMK.
Tamil Nadu BJP president Annamalai in a video said, “Honorable Chief Minister Thiru M .K. Stalin Sir, Vanakam. We all happened to read your statement that was put out on the social media handle and also your son’s statement that was put out on his social media handle. It is good that both of you are toning down and both of you know that you are fighting a losing battle over the last 3 -4 days. And today, not only have you defended something, but also you have spoken some lies against our Honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji. I believe it is my bounding duty as a BJP Karyakarta to respond to that. ”
Annamalai added, “I am sure with the way our Honorable Prime Minister is working with integrity and hard work, even as we speak now, he is in Indonesia promoting our national interest, and immediately on September 9 and 10, the G20 meeting that is going to happen where India will be at the center stage of the global map. So, please don’t bother our Prime Minister to respond to your unfounded, false, and diabolical allegations.”
Annamalai said, “Sir, at the outset, you mentioned Sanatana Dharma which essentially itself practices discrimination. That is why your movement is founded. Sir, I would like to take back you to two eminent leaders who were born out of your movements. One is the great leader from the scheduled caste community, Mr. M .C. Raja. Do you know, sir, why did he quit the Justice Party in 1923? A great Dalit leader, M .C. Raja, he quit the Justice Party in 1923 because he said the very founding principle of the Justice Party was not in tune with what they practiced. Justice Party, when they came into existence, they said they wanted to abolish the Brahminical domination in Tamil Nadu. That was their allegation from the Justice Party. M .C. Raja said the so-called Brahminical domination is replaced by the upper caste Hindu domination. There is no space for an SC leader inside the Justice Party. That is why painfully he quit in 1923.”
He further said, “I am sure, sir, you will not have missed out on Madam Satyavani Muthu. She was the first Dalit woman minister from Tamil Nadu. In 1974, right inside the Tamil Nadu assembly, as a member of your father’s cabinet, she leveled serious allegations against Mr. Karnanidhi inside the assembly stating that Mr. Karnanidhi was against the interest of the Dalit community and SC community. The funds are not being given. So, she has got certain misgivings. And inside the assembly, in Indian history, we never seen a minister complaining against her own chief minister. What is the price Madam Satyavani Muthu got? She was dismissed from the ministry and later she was removed from the party also. These are some of the instances where I can give you the early part of your movement, how Dalit leaders were treated right inside your party. When you say that you are here to abolish certain ills of Sanatana Dharma and to promote equality, it is like Satan talking about Vedas to God. So, please don’t get into that territory, sir. That is my humble submission to you.”
Annamalai further added, “Also, sir, you mentioned that DMK as a party is very progressive. Anyone who is looking at your cabinet, current cabinet now, out of 35 ministers, 3 ministers are from the SC community. and 2 women ministers. Do you call this as progressive? Less than 10 %? And all the brothers and sisters who have come from the SC community, you have given some minor portfolios to them, insignificant portfolios. Look at our Honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji’s current cabinet. I am just doing a basic comparison. Out of the 79 ministers, 20 ministers are from the SC, ST community. 11 ministers are women. 5 ministers are from the minority community. I am sure, sir, you will clearly understand that you really don’t practice what you preach. Even if I take Uttar Pradesh, out of 52 ministers, 9 ministers are from the SC, ST community. So, you don’t give them political rights. You don’t give them political powers. Then what are you talking about? Improving the standards of the oppressed community.”
Annamalai went on to say, “Again, I would like to bring certain things for your recall, sir. In Tirunelveli, when the Manjolai tea workers protested, and when they were brutally killed because of the police action when they jumped into the Tamarabarani river, close to 17 people got killed, including a month-old child. When the action was sought against the police officer, what did your father Kalingar Karunanidhi say? He said, no and said, ” If I take action against some police officers, their community will feel offended; So, I am not going to take action.” So, DMK as a party is run on caste lines. DMK as a party is meant to promote caste in Tamil Nadu. That is why, more than any other part of India, Tamil Nadu sees the highest number of caste violence. Tamil Nadu sees the highest number of caste conflicts. Tamil Nadu has got the highest number of caste fault lines. The latest research says the prevalence of two Tumbler systems is one of the highest in Tamil Nadu. That is why we had a shameful spectacle last year, when during Independence Day, under your regime, many panchayat leaders belonging to the SC community were not allowed to host their flag. And we raised a big agitation and demonstration for that. So, what are you talking about, sir?”
Annamalai said, “Sanatana Dharma by its very nature is timeless. It doesn’t have an origin, doesn’t have an end. Sanatana Dharma predates any religion. Sanatana Dharma, as a Dharma, it believes a human being is a God. It also, not only human beings, it looks at all living beings. By its very nature, it treats everybody equally. Of course, there are humans inside every religion. Some of the discriminative practices are brought out by humans. When one human brings out the discriminative practice within a Sanatana Dharma, the other human beings like great saints and reformers who come within the Sanatana Dharma, give a voice against the discrimination and try and abolish it. That is why we have Swami Sakajananda. That is why we have Dayanand Saraswati. That is why we have some of the greatest reformers within the Tamil Hindu society, who were the crusaders to remove some of the ill effects brought inside the Sanatana Dharma by human beings. For that, your son wants to eradicate Sanatana Dharma itself. It clearly shows what little understanding you have about Sanatana Dharma and your son’s understanding about Sanatana Dharma. This is the land of Alwars and Nayanmars.”
Annamalai added, “Out of the 63 Nayanmars, 17 Nayanmars none of them are Brahmins. What about the rest of the community? Many Nayanmars come from the oppressed community. We worship them as saints. This is the spiritual land. Out of all Alwars, 3 Alwars are Brahmins. Where do the rest of the Alwars come from? They come from oppressed communities. So, what are you talking about? This is a God where a person who belongs to the oppressed community is treated as a God. We worship them.”
Annamalai said, “Your son, he calls himself a practicing Christian in December 2022. Now he says he doesn’t have any faith over it. In the Sanatana Abolition Conference, your HR&CE minister sits on the dais where your ideologue, Dravidakalakam’s current president Ki Viramani says, that Sanatana Dharma means Hinduism. Can you give a condemnation statement against Mr. Ki Viramani for stating Sanatana Dharma is the same as Hinduism, which is what you are refusing?”
Annamalai further said, “Now, Mr. Chief Minister, please understand, your lies will not keep working. You live in the age-old premise that a thousand lies which is getting repeated 10,000 times will become a thousand truth. Here it is not going to happen. The people of Tamil Nadu have seen you; have seen the historic corruption that you have brought into the administration; have seen your family dominating the Tamil Nadu administration, and your son and son-in-law swindling money. We have leveled very serious allegations against you, including the release of PTR tapes, where you said on record, that your previous finance minister talked about your son and son-in-law’s amazing close to 30,000 crores. The Madras High Court a few days back has said that the mere continuation of Senthil Balaji as a minister is violating all democratic ethos and norms that are required for good governance. Still, you have kept him as a minister and the taxpayers are giving him a salary. What are you talking about probity in governance? Nobody is afraid of the INDI Alliance. All of us wanted the INDI Alliance because once the INDI Alliance comes, the people of India will see it. The dynast, the corrupt, the cabals, the elitist, and the family-run parties, all sitting in one high table. It is like Judas trying to go after the Christ after the great supper.”
Annamalai added, “In Sanatana Dharma, Christian faith, Muslim faith, Sikh faith, any other faith is as important as a Hindu faith. That is how the government of India, that is how the Honorable Prime Minister, that is how Narendra Modi ji has been doing the administration for the last nine years plus. Please don’t leave any allegations that you don’t know about. So the coming election we have challenged you. Let us fight on Sanatana Dharma. Let DMK say it is going to abolish Sanatana Dharma. We will say we will protect and preserve Sanatana Dharma. We will see where the people of Tamil Nadu are going to vote.”
In his concluding remarks, Annamalai said, “After you come to power, the first year is opposing Sanatana Dharma. The second year, you say abolishing Sanatana Dharma. Third year, you want to brutally root out Sanatana Dharma. Fourth year you say you are a Hindu. You say 90 % of DMK party men are Hindu. Fifth year, you take a “VEL” to say you are also a Hindu. So this drama, Tamil Nadu has seen for the last many many decades. When elections come, you suddenly become an Amar and an Akbar and an Antony, which Mr. Rahul Gandhiji for the last 17 failed attempts is trying to do the same thing. Becoming Amar in one state, becoming Akbar in one state, becoming Antony in one state. The people of India and the people of Tamil Nadu and the whole of Bharat have read into your elitist, cabal, family-oriented, corrupt practices. Come 2024, DMK as a party is going to get wiped out. I didn’t say it. Your son said it. Because D stands for dengue, M stands for malaria and K stands for kosu. Good luck, sir.”
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