On 12 May 2026, leader of opposition and DMK scion Udhayanidhi Stalin once again triggered controversy after reiterating remarks against Sanatana Dharma during his speech in the Assembly, while Chief Minister Joseph Vijay was looking on in the House.
Concluding his speech in the Assembly, he said, “I once again extend my congratulations to the new government, which has been formed with the support of the alliance legislators who contested the election under the leadership of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and won, and to the Hon’ble Chief Minister. My thanks also to the Hon’ble Speaker of the Assembly and the Deputy Speaker of the Assembly. May your work be successful. I once again convey my greetings. Thank you, greetings.”
He continued, “Victory to Tamil. Long live Tamil Nadu. Sanatanam, which divides the people, must certainly be eradicated. Thank you, greetings.”
CM VIJAY LOOKS ON AS UDAYANIDHI STALIN SAYS:
“SANATANA MUST BE ERADICATED.”Interesting to see whether TN CM responds at any point criticizing the LoP for hurting Sanatani sentiments. pic.twitter.com/XL3PjfZ57I
— Rahul Shivshankar (@RShivshankar) May 12, 2026
Following this, a fresh legal push is being mounted against Udhayanidhi Stalin, with an application set to be filed before the Supreme Court seeking to place on record his latest remarks, amid a pending contempt petition listed for hearing on May 19, 2026. The move comes in the backdrop of earlier judicial proceedings arising from his 2023 Sanatana Dharma remarks, which had triggered multiple legal challenges and sharp political reactions.
According to the petitioners, a contempt petition against Udhayanidhi Stalin is already pending before the Supreme Court, and they now intend to bring his recent Assembly speech to the court’s notice as additional material in the matter. They argue that the latest statement assumes significance because it was made after the Supreme Court’s 4 March 2024 proceedings concerning his earlier remarks, during which the court dealt with the broader controversy and passed orders related to the registration of further FIRs.
The petitioners contend that Udhayanidhi Stalin repeated substantially the same objectionable remarks inside the Assembly despite the controversy already being under judicial scrutiny. They further allege that the statement was made under the protection of legislative privilege available to members inside the House under Article 194(2), and that this conduct should be examined by the apex court in the context of the pending contempt proceedings.
Sir,
Contempt Petition against @Udhaystalin is already filed and pending in the Supreme Court for hearing on 19.05.2026.
The Supreme Court had on 04.03.2024 strongly reprimanded him for his hate speech against Sanatana Dharma, and also passed orders that no further FIRs will be… https://t.co/am6R7DnXmN pic.twitter.com/kYWRHsoEMv
— Amita Sachdeva, Advocate (@SachdevaAmita) May 12, 2026
It is noteworthy that the 2023 remarks when later examined in court proceedings, strong observations were made on the nature of the speech, with court itself describing it as hate speech and genocide against followers of Sanatana Dharma.
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