Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Sept 3: Udayanidhi Stalin, the son of the Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin and a minister in his cabinet, has sparked of a major controversy by calling for “eradication” of “Sanatan Dharma” with the BJP terming the remark an “attack on our heritage” and stamping the entire opposition block of Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) as “anti-Hindu.”
Addressing a writers’ conference in Chennai, Udhayanidhi Stalin had said the idea of “Sanatana Dharma is against the idea of social justice and must be eradicated.” He also drew a parallel between Sanatana Dharma and diseases such as dengue and malaria. “Sanatana is like malaria and dengue and so it must be eradicated and not opposed,” he had said. The comments triggered massive backlash on social media, with many calling for a case to be filed against the Tamil Nadu minister.
Latching on to his comments, the union home minister Amit Shah, who was addressing a BJP rally in Dungarpur in poll-bound Rajasthan on Sunday, said the remarks by Stalin showed that the Opposition bloc INDIA “hates Hinduism” and is “an attack on our heritage.” The Home Minister alleged that the remarks by Udhayanidhi Stalin are part of INDIA bloc’s “vote bank politics” and “appeasement” tactic.
The BJP’s IT Cell chief Amit Malviya posted on X terming Stalin’s comments as a call for genocide of the Hindus following Sanatan Dharma and launched a frontal attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. “Rahul Gandhi speaks of ‘mohabbat ki dukaan’ but Congress ally DMK’s scion talks about eradicating Sanatana Dharma. Congress’s silence is support for this genocidal call. INDIA Alliance, true to its name, if given an opportunity, will annihilate the millennia-old civilisation that is Bharat,” Malviya said.
Stalin, Malviya said, was calling for “genocide of 80% population of Bharat, who follow Sanatan Dharma.” “Udhayanidhi Stalin, son of Tamil Nadu 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.”
The DMK, a member of the INDIA bloc, met with other opposition leaders in Mumbai this week to streamline strategies for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where they will be contesting against the BJP-led NDA.
The Tamil Nadu minister argued that the idea was inherently regressive, dividing people on the basis of caste and gender, and is fundamentally opposed to equality and social justice. Responding to Malviya’s tweet, he wrote: “Stop spreading fake news.”
He added “I never called for the genocide of people who are following Sanatana Dharma. Sanatana Dharma is a principle that divides people in the name of caste and religion. Uprooting Sanatana Dharma is upholding humanity and human equality. I stand firmly by every word I have spoken. I spoke on behalf of the oppressed and marginalized, who suffer due to the Sanatana Dharma.
“I am ready to present the extensive writings of Periyar and Ambedkar, who conducted in-depth research on Sanatana 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 Sanatana Dharma is responsible for many social evils. “I am prepared to confront any challenges that come my way, whether in a court of law or the people’s court. Stop spreading fake news.”
Karti Chidambaram, Congress leader and former Home Minister P Chidambaram’s son, has backed the remarks by Udhayanidhi Stalin, saying that Sanatana Dharma “is nothing but code for a Caste Hierarchical Society.” “All those batting for it are hankering for the Good Ole Days! Caste is the curse of India,” he has said.
Slamming DMK and the Congress over remarks by the two leaders, Shah said, “Over the past two days, they (INDIA) are insulting this country’s heritage and Sanatana Dharma. Sons of top leaders of Congress and DMK are talking about finishing Sanatana Dharma for the politics of vote bank and appeasement.”
The Home Minister also referred to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s 2010 remark, in which he had said radical Hindu outfits are a bigger threat than terror organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba. “Rahul Baba had said that Hindu organisations are more dangerous than Lashkar-e-Taiba. Rahul Baba, you compared Hindu organisations to Lashkar-e-Taiba and your Home Minister said there is ‘Hindu terror’ in the country,” Mr Shah said.
He was referring to former Home Minister and Congress leader Sushil Kumar Shinde’s remark on Hindu terror. Shinde has said he had used the expression at a Jaipur party meeting, but withdrew it immediately.
At the Rajasthan rally, Shah said Sanatana Dharma is ruling the hearts of people. “They say Sanatana rule will come if Modi wins. Sanatana is ruling people’s heart,” he said, adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has underlined that India will run as per the Constitution. Accusing the Congress of blocking the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya, the Union Home Minister said, “The Grand Ram temple will be ready in January at Lord Ram’s birthplace. INDIA alliance cannot stop it. Congress had blocked it for years.”
