The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Madhya Pradesh continues to up the ante over Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader and Tamil Nadu Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin’s remarks on Sanatana Dharma. On Monday, Union Minister Anurag Thakur challenged senior Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi to break their silence on the issue, while Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant alleged that the INDIA alliance wanted to “eradicate Sanatana Dharma”.
Mr. Thakur and Mr. Sawant were in the State to join two separate ‘Jan Aashirwad Yatras’ — a pan-State outreach exercise — in the Mahakoshal and Malwa Malwa Nimar regions, respectively.
Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi reportedly told his Ministerial colleagues that Mr. Udhayanidhi Stalin’s remarks would have to be met with a “proper response” based on the “facts of the issue” within the contemporary situation, and emphasised that the Constitution did not allow for abuse of any religion, party leaders have maintained an aggressive stance over the controversy.
