The AIADMK general secretary claimed that Udhayanidhi Stalin was trying to boost himself and the news media was helping him.
Published Sep 05, 2023 | 9:39 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 05, 2023 | 9:40 PM
Udhayanidhi has staged a drama called 'Abolition of Sanathana Dharma', Edappadi Palaniswami said.
Three days after Tamil Nadu Sports and Youth Welfare Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin’s remark on Sanatana Dharma erupted into a controversy, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi Palaniswami commented that the DMK wanted to make it a talking point only to divert attention from other issues in the state.
Speaking to reporters in Coimbatore on Tuesday, 5 September, Palaniswami said: “The law-and-order situation in the state has deteriorated. The state is now seeing easy availability of drugs to the youngsters, an increase in the price of essential commodities, and a hike in property tax, and thereby people are suffering under the DMK government.”
He added: “In order to divert people’s attention from all these issues, Udhayanidhi has staged a drama called the abolition of Sanatana Dharma.”
EPS continued: “When Ram Nath Kovind contested the Presidential election, the DMK, which now speaks about the Sanatana Dharma, voted against him and even against current President Droupadi Murumu. The DMK even abused former Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal and DMK organising secretary RS Bharathi and also talked ill about the appointment of a Dalit judge. This is the dharma of the DMK.”
Asked about the stand of the AIADMK on the issue, Palaniswami said that his party was beyond the factors of caste and religion.
On Monday, Udhayanidhi told reporters in Chennai to ask for the stand of the AIADMK on the “Sanathana Dharma issue”.
When reporters asked Palaniswami about it, the AIADMK general secretary said that Udhayanidhi was trying to boost himself and the news media was helping him.
“What has he done as a minister? Except for being the grandson of Karunanidhi and the son of Stalin, Udhayanidhi doesn’t have any qualifications. He is a symbol of nepotism which is high in the DMK,” said EPS.
“Can a DMK cadre become a chief minister or leader of the party? Even DMK ministers say that they will accept Udhayanidhi’s son as their leader,” he added.
“This is the pitiful state of the DMK. The DMK is not a party. It is a corporate company,” he claimed.
When asked about MK Stalin’s “One Nation, One Election” stand, Palaniswami said: “Stalin claims he is the best chief minister in the entire country. Then, why is he afraid of elections? Let him face the people and election again and prove his claim.”
He added: “Tamil Nadu is the state that has the highest debt. This is the only achievement of Stalin in his two-and-a-half years’ tenure. People will teach the DMK a lesson in the Lok Sabha elections for upholding dynastic politics.”
Meanwhile, 262 eminent citizens — including former high court judges and bureaucrats — wrote to Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud on Tuesday urging him to take note of Udhayanidhi Stalin’s speech calling for the eradication of Sanatana Dharma.
Pointing out the Supreme Court’s concern over the growing incidents of hate speeches, the bureaucrats urged the apex court to take a suo moto notice of contempt.
“Thus, cases should be suo moto registered and the offenders should be proceeded against in accordance with law. Any hesitation to act as per the directions would be viewed as contempt of court,” the letter stated.
“Therefore, since the state government has refused to take action and acted in contempt of the court’s orders and gravely undermined or rather made a mockery of the rule of law, we urge the Supreme Court to take the suo moto notice of contempt, ensuring accountability for the inaction of the state government of Tamil Nadu, and take decisive steps to prevent the inducement of hate speech, preserving public order and peace and we request you to take immediate appropriate actions,” it added.
Meanwhile, BJP leader Subramanian Swamy took to X to say that he had sought permission from Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi to prosecute Udhayanidhi for his remarks.
“I have sent a letter to TN Governor seeking Sanction to Prosecute Stalin beta who on nepotism is a Minister. Once more if he repeats deprecating Sanatana Dharma I will work for dismissal of TN State Government. I proved in 1991 that India is a Union of States, not a Federation,” he wrote on X.
I have sent a letter to TN Governor seeking Sanction to Prosecute Stalin beta who on nepotism is a Minister. Once more if he repeats deprecating Sanatana Dharma I will work for dismissal of TN State Government. I proved in 1991 that India is a Union of States not a Federation.
— Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) September 5, 2023
Swamy, in his letter to the Governor, stated that Udhayanidhi was creating an environment of fear in the minds of Sanatana Dharma believers and was inciting violence against them.
“In this connection, I intend to initiate a criminal complaint against the above-named person. The accused is a public figure having major public outreach, following, and viewership. The offending statement made by the Accused has successfully reached millions of people and has influenced countless persons, creating an environment of fear in the Sanatan Dharma community, even more so, since the political party of the Accused is the ruling government in Tamil Nadu,” he wrote.
“The statements of the accused have created a traumatising atmosphere of fear, alarm, threat, insecurity, and helplessness among believers of the Sanatan Dharma, especially in Tamil Nadu,” claimed Swamy in his letter.
“The stereotyping of a particular section of the population and stigmatising it has created an atmosphere of hatred which is intended to generate aggression and incite violence and riots against them. For the filing of the said complaint, your sanction is required under Section 196 of the Criminal Procedure 1973”, he added.
“Your kind attention is drawn to the decision of the Hon’ble Supreme Court in Subramanian Swamy vs. Manmohan Singh, (2012) where the court has expounded principles governing the grant of sanction for prosecution,” Swami wrote.
“Therefore, it is requested that you may kindly accord for the prosecution for the accused who has committed various offences against public tranquillity, in the interest of justice, and the exercise of your constitutional prerogative,” wrote Swamy seeking sanction to prosecute Udhayanidhi his controversial speech.
𝗟𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗛𝗼𝗻’𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗧𝗡 𝗚𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗮𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗨𝗱𝗵𝗮𝘆𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗱𝗵𝗶 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻 #SanatanaDharma #SanatanDharma https://t.co/tRyn4uZ2ZB pic.twitter.com/jQOJzRE8oC
— Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) September 5, 2023
The functionaries of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) from the Ramanathapuram district filed a complaint against Ayodhya seer Paramhans Acharya, who has announced a reward of ₹10 crore for beheading Udhayanidhi Stalin over his remarks on Sanatana Dharma.
The complaint stated that the announcement posed a threat to the life of the Tamil Nadu sports minister, and that the statement of the seer was instigating violence in the minds of individuals. Hence, the complainant sought criminal action against Paramhans Acharya.
Meanwhile, Udhayanidhi stated that he was not afraid of such statements, and that he was following the footprints of his grandfather Karunanidhi, who had also received similar death threats.
Udhayanidhi further said that several complaints had been registered all over India to arrest him.
“Today a seer has set a price for my head. I ask you, whoever says this is a saint? Why you are so fond of my head? You are a seer; how can a sage have ₹1 crore? Is he a real seer? Why ₹10 crore to chop my head? If you give me a ₹10 for a comb, I myself can comb my hair,” Udhayanidhi said.
