New Delhi: The BJP slammed DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin on Tuesday over his renewed attack on Sanatan Dharma, accusing him and other opposition parties of indulging in “Sanatan hatred” for the sake of vote-bank politics.
The saffron party’s reaction came after Udhayanidhi Stalin on Tuesday called for the “abolition” of Sanatan Dharma, claiming that it divides people, repeating the controversial remarks he made in September 2023.
In a video posted on X, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said despite the DMK’s poll defeat in Tamil Nadu, Udhayanidhi Stalin has once again returned to what he “does best — insulting and spreading hatred against Sanatan”.
“He has now said in the Assembly that Sanatan should be exterminated. The last time he made similar remarks, even the Supreme Court had described those as hate speech,” Poonawalla said.
He alleged that former Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin had not acted against his son over the earlier row and instead, promoted him as the deputy chief minister, while the Congress had not condemned the remarks as well.
“Even after electoral setbacks and despite their anti-Hindu and anti-Sanatan world view being rejected by people, there is no learning. He continues to insult Sanatan even now,” the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said.
Referring to opposition leaders, Poonawalla said Assam Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi, Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee and DMK president M K Stalin suffered setbacks in the recently-concluded Assembly polls, but parties opposed to the BJP have still not changed their approach towards Sanatan Dharma.
Poonawalla also accused the Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP), TMC and DMK of indulging in “Sanatan hate”.
“Insulting Sanatan has become their political model and disrespecting Sanatan for vote-bank politics has become their identity. The people of Tamil Nadu will not forgive them,” he said.
“This is not a coincidence, but an experiment in vote-bank politics,” Poonawalla said, referring to repeated attacks on Sanatan Dharma by opposition parties.
In his maiden speech as the leader of opposition in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, Udhayanidhi Stalin also said the opposition “will not permit” any attempt to sideline “Tamil Thai Vazhuthu” — the Tamil invocation song.
“Sanatan Dharma, which divides people, must certainly be abolished,” he said. Similar remarks made by Udhayanidhi Stalin in 2023 had created a major row, with the DMK leader facing flak and court cases from pro-Hindu outfits over his remarks.
In the Assembly, Udhayanidhi Stalin was highlighting a specific grievance regarding the recent swearing-in ceremony of the new Tamil Nadu government, observing that the state anthem was pushed to the third position in the order of events.
“Such an incident, which happened during your government’s swearing-in ceremony, was a mistake and you should not permit it to happen again in this Assembly. We will not permit it,” he said.
The DMK leader added that not just in the Assembly, but at any event held in Tamil Nadu, “Tamil Thai Vazhthu” must always be given the primary position.
