'Stand firmly by every word': Udhayanidhi Stalin on his remarks against Sanatana Dharma

Udhayanidhi rubbished the accusation by the BJP that he was calling for "genocide" and said he stood firmly by every word he has spoken. "I stand firmly by every word I have spoken. I spoke on behalf of the oppressed & marginalized, who suffer due to the Sanatan Dharma," he said.

Chennai: A massive controversy has been triggered in the political circles in India after DMK youth wing secretary and Tamil Nadu Youth Welfare Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin compared 'Sanatana Dharma' with diseases and should it should be 'eradicated'

Likening Sanatana Dharma to coronavirus, malaria, and fever caused by dengue virus and mosquitoes, he said such things should not be opposed but destroyed. After his remarks on Saturday led to a furore on social media with BJP's IT department in-charge Amit Malviya stating the DMK leader has called for "genocide" of 80 per cent population who follow Sanatana Dharma, Udhayanidhi rubbished that accusation and said he stood firmly by every word he has spoken.

"I never called for the genocide of people who are following Sanatan Dharma. Sanatan Dharma is a principle that divides people in the name of caste and religion. Uprooting Sanatan Dharma is upholding humanity and human equality. I stand firmly by every word I have spoken. I spoke on behalf of the oppressed & marginalized, who suffer due to the Sanatan Dharma. I am ready to present the extensive writings of Periyar and Ambedkar, who conducted in-depth research on Sanatan 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 Sanatan 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," Udhayanidhi, son of Tamil Nadu CM M K Stalin, wrote in a long post on X.

Earlier on Saturday, in his address at a meet of Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers and Artists Association in Chennai, Udhayanidhi said Sanatan is against equality and social justice. He said the very name Sanatan is from Sanskrit. "What is the meaning of Sanatan? It is eternal, that is, it cannot be changed; no one could pose any question and that is the meaning."

Sanatan divided people on the basis of caste, he alleged. Terming Udhayanidhi Stalin's comments as hate speech, Malviya asked: "Rahul Gandhi speaks of 'Mohabbat ki dukan' but Congress ally DMK's scion talks about eradicating Sanatana Dharma. Congress's silence is support for this genocidal call I.N.D.I Alliance, true to its name, if given an opportunity, will annihilate the millennia-old civilisation that is Bharat."

Tamil Nadu BJP President K Annamalai too slammed the DMK minister for his malicious ideology. "Tamil Nadu is a land of spiritualism. The best you can do is to hold a mic in an event like this & rant out your frustration!" BJP Tamil Nadu vice president Narayanan Thirupathy dubbed the DMK a "cancer" and said such remarks from the ruling Dravidian party were nothing new. His party would decimate the DMK, he said.