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 after the recently concluded TN 2026 elections, 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
This is Udhayanidhi Stalin reiterating that he stands by his hateful ‘eradicate Sanatana Dharma’ comments which he made as Deputy CM of the state back in 2023 in a conference titled ‘Eradicate Sanatana Dharma’ conference.
He had then declared that Sanatana Dharma must not be merely opposed but eradicated.
The speech triggered nationwide outrage, multiple police complaints and a major political confrontation, with critics accusing him of delivering hate speech targeting a religious tradition followed by millions. The 2023 remarks were later examined in court proceedings, where 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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