A metaphor used by Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Minister P. K. Sekar Babu during a legislative discussion has sparked sharp reactions from the opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.
Speaking during the Finance Committee meeting on budget allocations for the Department of Social Welfare and Differently Abled Persons, Sekar Babu likened Sanatana Dharma to the peel of a banana.
“The peel is Sanatanam; the fruit inside is the Lord,” he said. “Just as we discard the peel to eat the fruit, one must go beyond Sanatanam to truly realize God.”
His analogy immediately drew criticism from AIADMK MLA K.P. Munusamy, who dismissed the minister’s parable as flawed.
“There is a vast difference between Sanatanam and a banana peel,” Munusamy countered. “If Sanatana and God are truly one and the same, there would be no need for such heated debates or legal battles.”
The debate grew more animated when DMK MLA Musiri Thiyagarajan added a political dimension to the discussion, referencing past controversies, “Udhayanidi is the 10-headed Ravana who came to destroy Sanatanam,” he said, alluding to the ‘eradicate Sanatana Dharma’ remarks made by the DMK scion in September 2023 which drew huge backlash from across the country.
#JUSTIN | “வாழைப்பழத்தில் இருக்கும் தோல் சனாதனம்; அதனுள் இருக்கும் பழமே இறைவன்” – அமைச்சர் சேகர்பாபு#TNAssembly | #SekarBabu | #DMK | #KPMunusamy | #ADMK | #Thiyagarajan pic.twitter.com/8F2KsHyrWB
— PuthiyathalaimuraiTV (@PTTVOnlineNews) April 16, 2025
(With inputs from Dinamani)
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