He said, “Yesterday in a program I spoke about it (Sanatana Dharma). Whatever I said, I will repeat it again and again. I have included all religions, not just Hinduism. I spoke about caste differences. Condemned.”
Even earlier he had insisted that his comments should be taken in the backdrop of caste hierarchy. He accused the BJP of distorting his words amid fears of growing opposition unity.
Stalin’s statement came amid attacks from the Bharatiya Janata Party, with party leaders calling Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin’s son ‘Udayanidhi Hitler’. At the same time, the opposition termed the ‘Bharat’ coalition as ‘anti-Hindu’.
When asked about the issue, Karnataka minister and Congress leader Priyank Kharge said that any religion that does not provide equal rights is not a religion and is ‘like a disease’. Khadge said, “Any religion that does not promote equality, any religion that does not ensure that you have dignity as a human being, is not a religion in my opinion. So it is a disease.”
Congress leader and former Union minister Karan Singh termed the DMK leader’s statement as “absurd” and “extremely unfortunate”.
He said, “Udayanidhi’s absurd statement that Sanatan Dharma should be abolished is extremely unfortunate. Millions of people in this country follow the principles of Sanatan Dharma to a greater or lesser extent.”
Singh said in a statement, “Furthermore, the world’s largest Sanatan Dharma temple is in Tamil Nadu. It is shocking that a responsible leader would make such a completely unacceptable statement. I have great respect for the glorious Tamil culture. “But I insist. Objection to Udayanidhi’s statement.
Priyanka Chaturvedi said, “The foundation of the country, which is linked to Sanatan Dharma, includes all faiths and identities. Anyone who makes derogatory remarks against it has no idea what it means.”
“Furthermore, the fake concern shown by the BJP for their politics on Sanatan Dharma exposes their hypocrisy when they mercilessly lathicharge Sanatans fighting for their rights in Maharashtra,” he said.
On the DMK leader’s statement, Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya said, “BJP is marketing the word ‘Sanatan’. They are playing with people’s emotions in the name of religion.”
Tamil Nadu Youth Welfare Minister Udhayanidhi has alleged that Sanatana Dharma is against equality and social justice and should be abolished. He compared Sanatana Dharma to coronavirus, malaria and dengue fever and said that such things should not be opposed but destroyed.