A day after DMK scion and Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin reignited national controversy by calling for the abolition of Sanatana Dharma on the floor of the Tamil Nadu Assembly, veteran actor and known DMK stooge Sathyaraj released a video message praising the remarks, describing Udhayanidhi’s delivery as “gethu” (swagger) and signing off with “Hats off, Uday.”
The Assembly Remarks
On 12 May 2026, delivering his maiden speech as Leader of the Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, Udhayanidhi Stalin stated: “Sanatana Dharma, which divides people, must certainly be abolished.” The remark was a deliberate reiteration of his September 2023 statement, which had drawn nationwide outrage, triggered multiple court cases from pro-Hindu organisations, and was subsequently declared hate speech against the Hindu community by the Madras High Court in January 2026. Despite the legal history of the remark, Udhayanidhi chose to repeat it in the very first speech of his tenure as LoP.
Sathyaraj’s Video Statement
In a video that quickly went viral, Sathyaraj addressed Udhayanidhi directly, saying: “My dear brother, I heard the maiden speech of self-respecting Udhayanidhi Stalin as LoP. He remained unfailing in his duty, unwavering in his dignity, and unyielding in his discipline.”
Sathyaraj specifically singled out the Sanatana remark for praise: “Sanathanam, who divides the people, must certainly be eradicated. His swagger (gethu), to use a term that only Gen Z and the ‘2K kids’ would truly grasp, was on full display when he asserted that the divisive force of caste must be unequivocally eradicated.”
He further framed the call to abolish Sanatana Dharma as synonymous with social justice: “The call to abolish Sanatanam encompasses the imperative to uphold social justice.” Sathyaraj then invoked a song from actor-politician MGR to draw a parallel with Udhayanidhi’s defiance: “Even if a thousand hands rise to obscure it, the Sun never fades from view; Even if decrees are issued to restrain them, the waves never cease their motion.”
#WATCH | சட்டமன்றத்தில் சனாதனம் ஒழிக்கப்பட வேண்டும் என்று உதயநிதி முழங்கிய விதம் கெத்து என்று குறிப்பிட்டு வீடியோ வெளியிட்ட சத்யராஜ் #SunNews | #TNAssembly | #udhayanithistalin | #Sathyaraj pic.twitter.com/6FxpYph3Vj
— Sun News (@sunnewstamil) May 13, 2026
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