Chennai: Supporters of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) burnt an effigy of Ayodhya seer Paramhans Acharya in Vellore today while Thanthi Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam (TPDK) filed a complaint at Coimbatore Police Commissioner's office for issuing a death threat against Udhayanidhi Stalin.
Also, the district organiser of DMK legal wing in Madurai City filed a complaint with the Madurai city Police Commissioner seeking action against BJP's IT department in-charge Amit Malaviya for an alleged defamatory tweet targeting Udhayanidhi.
In a separate incident, members of the Tamilpuligal party also staged a protest by burning the Acharya's effigy near the Thiruvalluvar statue located near the Madurai district collector's office. The Tallakulam police extinguished the effigy with water and arrested the protestors.
On Monday, Acharya announced a bounty of Rs 10 crore for beheading the minister. The seer sought an apology from Udhayanidhi saying he has hurt 100 crore people's sentiments. Amid the controversy over Udhayanidhi's remarks to abolish Sanatan Dharma, tension escalated in Tamil Nadu as DMK supporters broke out in protest against Acharya.
Visuals from the scene show hundreds of protestors raising slogans against Acharya while burning his effigy and photograph. TPDK demanded legal action against Acharya in its complaint filed by its general secretary Ramakrishnan.
Meanwhile, BJP's state advocate wing secretary Balpandi, lodged a complaint against Udhayanidhi at Madurai Metropolitan Police Commissioner's office. The complaint read, "Udhayanidhi Stalin had spoke in favour of a certain section who does not believe in God and expressed his views against those who follow Sanatan Dharma. His speech is seen as being against the Hindu community and the sovereignty of India. We demand appropriate legal action against minister Udhayanidhi Stalin"
On the other hand, DMK accused Malaviya of posting a tweet on September 3 containing a video of Udhayanidhi that purportedly called for genocide of 80 per cent of India's population who follow Sanatan Dharma.
In his speech on September 2, Udhayanidhi referred to Sanatan Dharma as a social evil and compared it to diseases like COVID-19, dengue, and malaria. Malaviya uploaded the video of the minister's speech, alleging that he was advocating for genocide of Sanatan Dharma followers.
In response, Udhayanidhi took to Twitter to clarify his stance, stating that he had never called for genocide. He emphasised that Sanatan Dharma divides people on the basis of caste and religion. He called for uprooting it in favor of humanity and human equality while expressing readiness for an in-depth research based on the writings of Thanthai Periyar and Dr. Ambedkar.
Also Read: Petition filed in Muzaffarpur Civil Court against Stalin, Udayanidhi over "Sanatana Dharma remark"
Despite Udhayanidhi's clarification, Malaviya neither issued an apology nor withdrew his statement. The DMK legal wing argued that Malaviya made the remark with an intention of inciting hatred and communal disharmony in society.
