News Tamil Nadu

TN Congress Leaders Defend I.N.D.I. Ally Udhayanidhi Stalin’s “Sanatana Dharma Should Be Eradicated” Remark

September 3, 2023
The Commune

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin’s son and DMK Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin has courted controversy for saying that Sanatana Dharma also known as Hinduism should be eradicated like mosquitoes, dengue, flu, corona.

The DMK Minister made these remarks while speaking at an anti-Hindu conclave titled “Eradicate Sanatana Conference”. Peter Alphonse from Congress party who is also the head of Tamil Nadu State Minorities Commission was also part of the speakers list.

Speaking at the event, 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.”

He further said “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.”

After a legal activism outfit named Legal Rights Observatory (LRO) said that they would be taking legal action against Udhayanidhi Stalin, the DMK Minister further added fuel to the raging fire saying “Bring it on. I am ready to face any legal challenge. We will not be cowed down by such usual saffron threats. We, the followers of Periyar, Anna, and Kalaignar, would fight forever to uphold social justice and establish an egalitarian society under the able guidance of our Hon’ble CM @mkstalin. I will say it today, tomorrow, and forever: Our resolve to stop Sanathana Dharma from the Dravidian land would not reduce even a bit.”

Responding to Amit Malviya who accused him of giving a clarion call for genocide of Hindus, Udhayanidhi Stalin said that he didn’t call for genocide of Hindus but added “Sanatan Dharma is a principle that divides people in the name of caste and religion. Uprooting Sanatan Dharma is upholding humanity and human equality. I stand firmly by every word I have spoken. I spoke on behalf of the oppressed & marginalized, who suffer due to the Sanatan Dharma. I am ready to present the extensive writings of Periyar and Ambedkar, who conducted in-depth research on Sanatan Dharma and its negative impact on society in any forum. Let me reiterate the crucial aspect of my speech: I believe, like the spread of diseases like COVID-19, Dengue, and Malaria by mosquitoes, that Sanatan Dharma is responsible for many social evils.”

These remarks coming from a sitting Minister of the DMK, which is a major partner of the I.N.D.I Alliance has set off a political storm.

The Congress in Tamil Nadu have come to the defense of DMK Minister trying to buttress his arguments against Sanatana Dharma.

Son of Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram and Sivagangai MP, Karti Chidambaram said that in the common parlance of Tamil Nadu, Sanathana Dharma means “Caste Hierarchical Society”.

He further went on to indirectly insinuate the Brahmin community saying “Why is that everyone who is batting for “SD” comes from the privileged segment who are beneficiaries of the “Hierarchy” There was no call for “Genocide” against anyone, this is a mischievous spin.“.

Lakshmi Ramachandran, the General Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee claimed that Sanathanam is another name for the hate-mongering, casteist Hindutva which has its origins in the North.

Mohan Kumaramangalam, Working President of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee went on to elaborate how Sanatana Dharma or Hinduism professed by Mahatma Gandhi was different from the Hindutva of Nathuram Godse.

“There were two practitioners of Hinduism during Mahatma Gandhi’s time – one was Mohandas Gandhi who practised Sanatan Hindu Dharma comprising of truth, love and compassion. The other was Nathuram Godse who proclaimed himself to be a Sanatani Hindu and practised a brutal, vengeful and murderous corruption which is today called Hindutva. There is a vast difference between the two that we should never forget.”

Standing in support of Udhayanidhi Stalin, Kumaramangalam said “The weaponisation of the term Sanatana Dharma by the far right to codify regression, perpetuate orthodoxy and promote caste based hegemony and inequality in our society is what @Udhaystalin spoke against. Those ideas are what we must always stand against. Those ideas are what we must stand against regardless of which institutionalised version of religion they emanate from.“.

It should be noted that Udhayanidhi Stalin did not make any distinction between Hinduism and Hindutva neither in his speech nor tweets, and outright called for eradicating “Sanatana Dharma” or Hinduism repeatedly.

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