Chennai: Udhayanidhi Stalin, the Tamil Nadu Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development, remains resolute in his stance and declares his readiness to confront any legal challenges stemming from his recent comments on “Sanatana,” which have ignited a political row.
Speaking at a conference organized in Chennai by the Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers Artists Association, with the theme of ‘eradicating Sanatana,’ Udhayanidhi Stalin, the son of Chief Minister MK Stalin, contended that Sanatana was against the idea of social justice and that it had to be eradicated.
“I thank the organisers of this conference for giving me the opportunity to deliver a special address. You have kept the name of the conference as ‘Sanatana Abolition Conference’ rather than ‘Anti-Sanatana Conference’, I appreciate that,” news agency ANI quoted Udhayanidhi as saying.
“A few things cannot be opposed, that should be abolished only. We can’t oppose dengue, mosquitoes, malaria, or corona. We have to eradicate this, that’s how we have to eradicate Sanatana. Rather opposing Sanatana it should be eradicated,” Udhayanidhi was quoted as saying.
Subsequently, responding to a post on X (formerly Twitter) by Amit Malviya, the head of the Bharatiya Janata Party IT cell, Udhayanidhi clarified that he had never advocated for the genocide of peoples who 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,” the DMK leader wrote on X.
“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. Bring it on. I am ready to face any legal challenge,” he added.
In response, the State BJP President, K. Annamalai, accused Udhayanidhi and his father, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, of echoing the “ideas” of Christian missionaries.
“The only resolve that the Gopalapuram family has is to accumulate wealth beyond the state GDP. Thiru @Udhaystalin, you, your father, or his or your idealogue have a bought-out idea from Christian missionaries, and the idea of those missionaries was to cultivate dimwits like you to parrot their malicious ideology,” Annamalai wrote on X.
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