Sanatana Dharma should be eradicated like malaria, dengue: DMK youth leader

Chennai, Sep 3: Alleging that Sanatana Dharma is against equality and social justice, DMK youth wing secretary and Tamil Nadu Youth Welfare Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin has said 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 led to a furore in 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.
In his address at a meet of Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers and Artists Association here on Saturday, Udhayanidhi said Sanatan is against equality and social justice.
Udhayanidhi, son of Chief Minister M K Stalin, 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.IA. 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.
Reacting to the criticism, Udhayanidhi said on X: “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, he said.
“Uprooting Sanatan Dharma is upholding humanity and human equality.”
The DMK leader said he stood firmly by every word he had spoken on behalf of the oppressed and marginalised people who suffer due to 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.”
Reactions in social media include one from a legal rights activist forum that said it would explore legal remedies against Udhayanidhi Stalin’s remarks. (PTI)