West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee weighed in on the recent controversy sparked by DMK Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin’s comments on ‘Sanatana Dharma.’ She said that she respects Sanatana Dharma and emphasized that people’s sentiments should not be hurt.
Banerjee expressed her respect for Sanatan Dharma and its contributions to Indian culture, citing the origins of Rig Veda and Atharva Veda. She also highlighted that her government supports priests who conduct religious ceremonies.
“Every religion has separate sentiments. India is about ‘Unity in Diversity’ which is our origin. We should not be involved in any matter which might hurt a section of people”, the Bengal chief minister said.
Rather than condemning Udhayanidhi’s statement outright, Mamata Banerjee urged everyone to refrain from making comments that might offend any section of the population.
“Maybe he’s a junior, so he may not be knowing that (not to hurt any religion). I feel that they have to respect every religion.”, she said.
This statement from the Trinamool Congress chief followed her party spokesperson Kunal Ghosh’s condemnation of Udhayanidhi’s remarks, emphasizing that the comments were unrelated to the INDIA alliance and asserting that the TMC strongly disapproved of them.
Udhayanidhi’s call for the eradication of Sanatana Dharma has ignited a political controversy, with the Bharatiya Janata Party accusing the newly formed opposition alliance, INDIA, of disrespecting Hinduism. Udhayanidhi had stated that certain aspects should be eradicated rather than opposed, drawing parallels with diseases like dengue and COVID-19.
As the BJP intensified its criticism of INDIA, the Congress party emphasized its respect for all religions while defending political parties’ freedom to express their viewpoints.
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