Union home minister Amit Shah on Sunday reacted sharply to reported remarks made by DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin on “Sanatan Dharma”, accusing both the DMK and its ally, the Congress, of “insulting Sanatan Dharma” for vote bank politics.
Mr. Shah was addressing a public rally in Dungarpur in Rajasthan, at the launch of the BJP’s “Parivartan Yatra” in the poll going state.
Alleging that ‘Sanatan dharma’ is against equality and social justice, Tamil Nadu Youth Welfare Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin has said it should be eradicated, when he spoke at a conference in Chennai organised by the Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers Artists Association on Saturday. Mr. Stalin is reported to have said that just as “Few things cannot be opposed, that should be abolished only. We can’t oppose Dengue, Mosquitoes, Malaria, or Corona, we have to eradicate this that’s how we have to eradicate Sanatana. Rather opposing Sanatana it should be eradicated.”
Mr. Shah said DMK leaders and Congress MP Karti Chidambaram’s statement supporting Mr. Stalin’s remarks were clear calls by them for the abolition of Sanatan Dharma.
“These people have talked about ‘Sanatan dharma’ for votebank appeasement. They have insulted (‘Sanatan dharma’),” he said.
Dubbing the INDIA alliance as “ghamandiya gathbandhan”, Mr. Shah said the alliance can go to any extent for votebank politics but “the more they talk against ‘Sanatan dharma’, the less they will be visible”.
“They say that if Modi wins, ‘Sanatan’ rule will come. ‘Sanatan’ is ruling the hearts of the people. Modi has said the country will run on the basis of the Constitution,” Mr. Shah said, adding that the Prime Minister has worked to secure the nation.
Earlier, BJP’s IT cell chief Amit Malviya had in a post on “X” said that Mr. Stalin’s remarks were akin to calling for genocide of 80% of India’s population. “Udhayanidhi Stalin, son of Tamilnadu CM MK Stalin, and a Minister in the DMK Gov’t, has linked Sanatana Dharma to malaria and dengue… He is of the opinion that it must be eradicated and not merely opposed. In short, he is calling for genocide of 80% population of Bharat, who follow Sanatan Dharma,” Mr. Malviya posted.
