The Congress on Monday said it respects all religions and stressed that others also have the freedom to express their views.
Published Sep 04, 2023 | 8:13 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 04, 2023 | 9:42 PM
Udhayanidhi Stalin. (X)
Tamil Nadu minister and DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin’s remarks on Sanatana Dharma have turned ammo in the hands of the BJP, which has continued to question the Opposition bloc.
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.
A petition was filed before a court in Bihar on Monday, 4 September, against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and his son Udhayanidhi Stalin over the latter’s controversial remarks against Sanatana Dharma.
The petitioner reportedly asked the court to take cognisance of the matter and order a probe against father and son.
Meanwhile, BJP leaders in Delhi sought an apology from Udhayanidhi for his comments and submitted a protest letter to the state’s resident commissioner in New Delhi.
Udhayanidhi Stalin, son of Tamilnadu CM MK Stalin, and a minister in the DMK Govt, has linked Sanatana Dharma to malaria and dengue… He is of the opinion that it must be eradicated and not merely opposed. In short, he is calling for genocide of 80% population of Bharat, who… pic.twitter.com/4G8TmdheFo
— Amit Malviya (मोदी का परिवार) (@amitmalviya) September 2, 2023
The BJP also asked the Congress if the INDIA bloc had met in Mumbai to target the religion and stressed that they should not play with Hindu sentiments.
“Why are Opposition leaders like Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Nitish Kumar, Mamata Banerjee silent? Are you playing with Hindu sentiments for votes? They should know that hundreds of years of Islamic rule could not exterminate Sanatana Dharma and British imperialism could not dilute it,” said former Union minister and BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad.
However, the Congress said that it respects all religions and stressed that others also have the freedom to express their views.
The Congress’ reaction came as the BJP questioned the silence of its leaders on the issue and accused the Opposition bloc of being against Hinduism. Union minister Anurag Thakur alleged that the INDIA alliance was stooping to “politics of polarisation”.
Udhayanidhi Stalin has courted controversy after claiming that Sanatana Dharma is against equality and social justice, and that it should be eradicated. He also likened Sanatana Dharma to the coronavirus, malaria and dengue, and said that such things should not be opposed but destroyed.
The petition against Stalin and Udhayanidhi was filed by Muzaffarpur-based advocate Sudhir Kumar Ojha before the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Pankaj Kumar Lal, alleging that the remarks have hurt Hindu sentiments.
Ojha, who remains in the news for his petitions against political bigwigs and other celebrities, has sought the trial of the Tamil Nadu chief minister and his son, who is also a Cabinet minister, under sections of the Indian Penal Code.
The matter has been posted for hearing on 14 September.
All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary KC Venugopal said that while the Congress’s stand is clear, every other political party has the freedom to express its own view.
“Actually, our view is very clear — ‘Sarvadharma Sambhav’ (equal respect to all religions) is the Congress ideology. But you have to understand that every political party has its own freedom to tell their views,” he said.
“We are respecting everybody’s beliefs,” the Congress leader said.
When asked about the issue, Karnataka minister and Congress leader Priyank Kharge 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, who is the son of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, said.
Karan Singh’s statement. (X)
Congress leader and former Union minister Karan Singh, however, termed the DMK leader’s statement as “preposterous” and “most unfortunate”.
“Thiru Udhayanidhi’s preposterous statement that Sanatana Dharma should be eradicated is most unfortunate. Crores of people in this country follow, to a lesser or greater extent, the tenets of Sanatana Dharma,” Singh said in a statement.
“Besides, the greatest Sanatana Dharma temples in the world are in Tamil Nadu — in Thanjavur, in Srirangam, in Thiruvannamalai, in Chidambaram, in Madurai, in Suchindram, in Rameshwaram, and many more,” he added.
“It is shocking that a responsible politician should make this kind of a totally unacceptable statement. I have the highest regard for the magnificent Tamil culture but I take strong objection to the statement made by Thiru Udhayanidhi,” Singh further said.
Speaking up, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi alleged. “BJP’s own allies have disrespected Lord Ram and Lord Hanuman, they are nobody to distribute certificates of either nationalism or devotion.”
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi attacked the BJP, accusing it of showing “fake concern” over Sanatana Dharm for its politics and termed it as hypocrisy.
“Sanatan Dharm stands for eternal truth — the way to live life — the conscience and being. Sanatanis have long withstood attacks by invaders to end their identity yet they have not just survived but thrived. The country’s bedrock, which is linked to Sanatan Dharm, has been of inclusiveness of all faiths and identities. Anyone making derogatory comments against it is ignorant of what it stands for,” she said on X.
Sanatan Dharm stands for eternal truth- the way to live life- the conscience & being. Sanatanis have long withstood attacks by invaders to end their identity yet they have not just survived but thrived. The country’s bedrock, which is linked to sanatan dharm, has been of…
— Priyanka Chaturvedi🇮🇳 (@priyankac19) September 4, 2023
“Also, the fake concern shown by BJP over Sanatan Dharm for their politics exposes their sick hypocrisy, while they are brutally lathi-charging sanatanis who are fighting for their rights in Maharashtra, they lathi-charged warkaris,” she said.
Meanwhile, a delegation from the BJP’s Delhi unit, including its president Virendra Sachdeva, MPs Harsh Vardhan, and Parvesh Verma, visited the Tamil Nadu House to submit the protest letter addressed to Chief Minister MK Stalin.
“Leaders of the Opposition INDIA bloc parties, including the AAP and its chief Arvind Kejriwal, should clear their stand on Udhayanidhi Stalin’s remarks,” Sachdeva said.
With his statement, Udhyanidhi Stalin tried to do what even foreign invaders failed to do in hundreds of years, Sachdeva said, adding that he delivered a “hate speech against 100 crore Sanatana Dharma Indians”.
“We have submitted this letter to the Tamil Nadu chief minister, asking for an immediate apology from his son and minister Udhyanidhi Stalin for his immoral statement, violating Constitutional propriety too,” Sachdeva said.
The Tamil Nadu chief minister is a close “political ally” of AAP chief Kejriwal and his “silence” on the issue is pinching, Sachdeva noted. He should come forward and “condemn” Udhayanidhi Stalin’s call to eradicate Sanatana Dharma.
Union Minister and BJP leader Shobha Karandlaje, on Monday, demanded that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin immediately sack state minister Udhayanidhi Stalin over his comments.
The remarks made by Tamil Nadu Youth Welfare Minister Udhayanidhi are “insulting” Sanatana Hindu dharma, the Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare said.
Karandlaje told reporters, “Chief Minister Stalin’s son talking like this…we felt very sad. Our country is connected to religion and temples. He (Udhayanidhi) holds a responsible position and his father is Chief Minister. What is he speaking? What does he think?”
“Stalin should immediately sack him (Udhayanidhi) from the ministry and he should also take serious action against him,” Karandlaje demanded.
The BJP leader further blamed the ruling DMK government in Tamil Nadu for alleged religious conversions in that state.
“In Tamil Nadu, mass religious conversions are happening. Who is behind it? I feel the government there is behind the religious conversions. And they are abusing and insulting Sanatana Hindu dharma. This is totally wrong. This will not be tolerated,” Karandlaje added.
She said that people in Tamil Nadu are religious and frequent temples, adding that the state has so many big temples and such remarks are an “insult” to all.
(With PTI inputs)
