Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development Udhayanidhi Stalin on Monday stood by his position on the ‘Sanatana Dharma’ row.
A judge of the Madras High Court, while passing an order in a case, had observed that the police should have registered cases against Mr. Udhayanidhi and Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department Minister P.K. Sekarbabu for participating in a conference seeking the “eradication” of ‘Sanatana Dharma’. When journalists asked Mr. Udhayanidhi about this, he defended his stance on the issue.
“I did not say anything wrong. I will not change my opinion. I have not said anything that Dr. Ambedkar, Periyar (E.V. Ramasamy) and even...Annan [Thol.] Thirumavalavan (VCK president) have said in the past. I will face it legally. I may lose my post as Minister or MLA tomorrow. What is more important to me is being human,” he said.
He said while social issues related to ‘Sanatana Dharma’ were hundreds of years old, the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) issue, which had been around for just six years, should be resolved first. “We will oppose ‘Sanatana Dharma’,” he said.
Mr. Udhayanidhi met Mr. Thirumavalavan at the VCK headquarters in Chennai to seek his support for the signature campaign (50 lakh signatures in 50 days) against NEET. He has been meeting the leaders parties allied with the DMK to enlist their support. Recently, he visited the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) headquarters in the city. Mr. Thirumavalavan, in a statement on social media, urged the VCK cadre to participate in the campaign.
The Minister told journalists that this was not just an issue of a particular party, the DMK, or its wings or a movement. “It is an issue that concerns everyone. I sought the support of TNCC president K.S. Alagiri recently. Today, I have come to seek the support of Mr. Thirumavalavan,” he said.
He asked the opposition AIADMK to continue its support for the fight against NEET and protect the rights of students. “If NEET is abolished, the credit need not be given any one person or the DMK. I will meet the leaders in Tamil Nadu, then go and meet the leaders of INDIA bloc (outside the State),” he said.
Mr. Udhayanidhi added that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had backed Tamil Nadu’s demand to be exempted from NEET.
