Stalin said pro-BJP forces spread a false narrative unable to tolerate Udayanidhi's stance against oppressive principles.
Stalin said that the leaders with extensive experience and an unwavering commitment to the country will avoid engaging in BJP’s divisive politics for political gain.
Under intense attack from the BJP over Udhayanidhi Stalin’s alleged anti-Sanatana Dharma remarks, the Tamil Nadu Youth Welfare Minister and his father and Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu MK Stalin slammed the BJP for “twisting” his statements.
Udhayanidhi also vowed to face all cases in this connection legally.
Udhayanidhi launched a strident and direct attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he was “globe-trotting”, afraid of facing questions over the Manipur violence.
Meanwhile, in a statement, Stalin said: “It is disheartening to hear from the national media that the prime minister mentioned that Udhayanidhi’s remarks need a proper response during a meeting of his Council of Ministers. The prime minister has access to all the resources to verify any claim or report.”
So, is the prime minister speaking unaware of the lies spread about Udhayanidhi, or does he do so knowingly?” Stalin asked.
Pro-BJP forces, unable to tolerate Udhayanidhi’s stance against oppression, have spread a false narrative, alleging he called for the genocide of people with Sanatan thoughts, Stalin said, and wondered why Prime Minister Modi would also join those targeting the Tamil Nadu minister.
“Udhayanidhi Stalin (made) certain comments about inhuman principles preached by Sanatana. He expressed his views on Sanatana principles that discriminate against Scheduled Castes, tribals and women, with no intention to offend any religion or religious beliefs,” he said.
“The social media mob nurtured by the BJP has widely circulated… falsehood in northern states. However, Minister Udhayanidhi never used the word ‘genocide’ in either Tamil or English. Still, lies were spread claiming so,” Stalin added.
Union Ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh “shared the same lie and condemned Udhayanidhi. Even after Udhayanidhi’s denial, these Union ministers did not retract their statements.”
“A self-proclaimed seer from Uttar Pradesh burnt Udhayanidhi’s photo and even offered a bounty on his head. Did the Uttar Pradesh government take any action against him? Instead, they filed cases against Udhayanidhi,” the DMK leader stated.
Udhayanidhi, on the other hand, attacked the BJP, saying that it used his comments as a weapon to protect itself.
“For the last nine years, all your (BJP) promises are empty promises. What have you exactly done for our welfare is a question currently being raised in unison by the entire country against a… fascist BJP government,” Udhayanidhi said.
“It is in this background that the BJP leaders have twisted my speech as ‘inciting genocide’. They consider it a weapon to protect themselves,” he added.
What is surprising is that those like Union Minister Amit Shah and chief ministers of BJP-ruled states were demanding action against him based on “fake news”, Udhayanidhi said.
“In all fairness, I should be the one filing criminal cases and other court cases against them for spreading slander while holding respectable positions. But I am aware that this is their mode of survival. They don’t know how else to survive, so I decided not to do that,” he said.
He was one of the political heirs of Dravidian stalwart, the late CN Annadurai, the founder of the DMK. “Everyone knows that we are not enemies of any religion.”
“I would like to quote Anna’s comment on religions which remains relevant even today. If religion leads people towards equality and teaches them fraternity, then I too am a spiritualist. If a religion divides people in the name of castes, if it teaches them untouchability and slavery, I would be the first person to oppose religion,” he said quoting Annadurai.
He said DMK respects all religions that teach that all people are born equal.
“But without an iota of understanding about any of these, Thiru Modi and Co are solely dependent on such slanders to face the Parliamentary elections. On the one hand, I can only feel sorry for them,” he said.
“For the last nine years, Modi has been doing nothing. Occasionally he demonetises money, builds walls to hide huts, builds new Parliamentary buildings, erects a Sengol (sceptre) there, plays around by changing the name of the country, standing at the border and making the white flag work,” he lashed out.
Has there been any progressive scheme from the Union government in the last nine years, like the DMK’s “Pudhumai Penn” or the Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme or the Kalaignar’s Women’s Rights Scheme, he asked.
“Have they built the AIIMS in Madurai? Did they take forward any knowledge movement like the Kalaignar centenary library?”
“Afraid of having to face questions about Manipur in India, he is globe-trotting along with his friend Adani. The fact is, the ignorance of the people is the capital of their theatrical politics.”
“Thiru Modi and Co are using the Sanatana ploy to divert the attention from the facts including the killing of more than 250 people in the riots incited in Manipur and the ₹7.5 lakh crore corruption,” he charged.
There was a lot of work for the party workers, including preparing for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, he said and asked them to focus on that.
“I would like to inform you that I will face the cases filed against me legally with the guidance of our party president (MK Stalin) and on the advice of our party high command,” Udhayanidhi added.
Meanwhile, Stalin also claimed that the INDIA alliance, formed by parties opposed to the BJP, seemed to have rattled Prime Minister Modi.
Stalin said: “He is proposing ‘One Nation One Election’ out of fear. It is evident that the BJP is not genuinely concerned about the discriminatory practices in Sanatan, but rather desperate to create divisions within the Opposition alliance. It doesn’t take a political genius to recognise this as a political gimmick.”
Stalin further said that the leaders with extensive experience and an unwavering commitment to the country would avoid engaging in the BJP’s divisive politics for political gain. Instead, they will intensify efforts to protect our country from the BJP.
As far as the DMK is concerned, our ideals and goals are transparent and clear, said Stalin, adding: “We operate under the motto of One clan, One god and Let’s find the God in the happiness of the poor.”
Quoting the recent speech of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Stalin said that if the BJP needed any further explanation regarding what Udhayanidhi spoke, they should consult Mohan Bhagwat.
Mohan Bhagwat said: “We kept our own fellow human beings behind in the social system. We did not care for them, and this continued for almost 2,000 years. Until we provide them equality, some special remedies have to be done. Reservations are one of them. Reservations should continue until there is such discrimination.”
Udhayanidhi Stalin on Saturday, 2 September, at an event in Tamil Nadu, compared the Sanatan Dharma with diseases like dengue and malaria.
The DMK scion drawing parallels between Sanatana Dharma and diseases, has left even the Opposition bloc of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) divided, evoking varied reactions from leaders of alliance parties.
Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge, reacting to Udhayanidhi Stalin’s remarks said that any religion that does not give equal rights is not a religion and “is as good as a disease”.
“Any religion that does not promote equality, any religion that doesn’t ensure that you have the dignity of being a human being is not a religion, according to me. So it is as good as a disease,” Priyank Kharge said.
Following Udhayanidhi Stalin’s call to “eradicate Sanatana”, an FIR was filed, on Wednesday, 6 September, in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, against the DMK leader and Tamil Nadu Sports minister as well as Karnataka minister for RDPR, IT&BT, Priyank Kharge, for allegedly ‘inciting religious sentiment’.
Priyank Kharge was booked for backing Udhayanidhi Stalin’s remark, the police said.
The two were booked under sections 295 A (deliberate and malicious acts to outrage religious feelings) and 153 A (promoting enmity between different religious groups) of the IPC at Civil Lines Police Station in Rampur, on Tuesday.
The FIR came following the complaint of lawyers Harsh Gupta and Ram Singh Lodhi, who highlighted media reports on Udhayanidhi Stalin’s statement alleging that the politician’s comments had hurt their religious feelings.
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