Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his initial response to the Sanatana Dharma controversy, has emphasized the need for a suitable reply to the statements made by Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin. This response from the Prime Minister came a day after Udhayanidhi Stalin cited the omission of an invitation to President Droupadi Murmu by the Central government for the new parliament’s inauguration as an example of discrimination by practitioners of Sanatana Dharma.
Udhayanidhi Stalin, who is the son of Chief Minister MK Stalin, has firmly refused to apologize for his comment characterizing Sanatana Dharma as a disease that should be eliminated. He has reiterated his readiness to face any legal consequences for his statements, and there are reports of efforts to seek the Tamil Nadu Governor’s approval to take action against him.
Speaking at the “Eradicate Sanatan Conclave”, DMK Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin said “The title of this conference has been excellently coined. You’ve named it as ‘Abolish Sanatanam Conference’ and not ‘Oppose Sanatanam Conference’, so my best wishes to that.”
“Mosquitoes, dengue, flu, malaria, corona – we should not oppose these things. They’ve to be eradicated completely. Same is the case with Santanam (Hinduism). Our first work should be to abolish/eradicate Sanatanam instead of opposing it. So, my appreciations to you all for giving an apt title to the meeting.“, DMK Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin said.
This statement triggered a strong backlash on social media and led the BJP to assert that it was tantamount to “a call for genocide,” a claim that the DMK leader has denied.
An FIR has been registered against Udhayanidhi Stalin at the Civil Lines Police Station in Uttar Pradesh’s Rampur on Tuesday (6 September 2023).
Furthermore, this comment has placed some allies of the new Opposition Bloc INDIA in a sensitive position ahead of several state elections later this year and the upcoming general election. Karnataka Congress Minister Priyank Kharge and Congress MP Karti Chidambaram, have expressed their support for DMK Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, as has Communist Party of India’s D Raja.
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