Sanatan Dharma: Udhayanidhi's Comments Put INDIA in a Spot Ahead of Polls in Heartland States

Udhayanidhi Stalin’s comments on “eradicating Sanatan Dharma like diseases” come as a major headache for the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) alliance just two days after the opposition parties put up a show of strength at their Mumbai meeting.

With elections in the Hindi heartland states coming up and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) already raising Stalin’s comments as an attack on the Hindu religion, the Congress is steering clear of backing the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), while the Janata Dal (U), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena are uncomfortable too.

The BJP is projecting Tamil Nadu CM and DMK chief MK Stalin’s son’s words as those of an “incompetent political dynast”, who has insulted the faith of Hindus and is daring the opposition parties of the INDIA alliance to condemn the statement.

The JDU and RJD have already advised Udhayanidhi to issue an apology. Although Congress leader and MP from Tamil Nadu Karti Chidambaram has seemingly supported Stalin, the Congress is staying away. It knows that such attacks on the Hindu religion could cost the party dear in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh going to polls soon.

While campaigning in the poll-bound states of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, respectively on Sunday, senior BJP leaders Amit Shah and party president JP Nadda lost no time to attack the I.N.D.I.A. alliance on Udhayanidhi’s statement. Shah asked the crowd in Rajasthan at a public rally if people were ready to accept Udhayanidhi’s remarks on eradicating the Sanatan Dharma. Nadda in Madhya Pradesh said Udhayanidhi had compared Sanatan Dharma to diseases such as malaria and Covid. “Is this the political strategy that the INDIA alliance drew up two days ago in Mumbai,” Nadda asked.

Udhayanidhi has, however, chosen to brazen it out and not apologise for his remarks so far. He, in fact, dared to answer in court if someone sued him. “India as a whole is talking about Sanathanam and still needs to talk. Some people are saying that I have said genocide. I just said that the doctrine of Sanatana should be abolished. Some people say that Dravidianism should be abolished, does that mean killing all of DMK? The Dravidian principle is that everyone should have everything. The BJP is deliberately spreading fake news to divert the success of the INDIA alliance meet. Legal action will be taken against those spreading rumours,” he told News18

In Tamil Nadu politics, the DMK is reaching out to its core voters by criticising the Sanatan Dharma as Udayanidhi has clarified that his attack was on the caste hierarchy and how the same needs to be eradicated. “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. Uprooting Sanatan Dharma is upholding humanity and human equality,” he said on X.

BJP leaders, however, say Udhayanidhi spoke on the issue at a function titled ‘Eradicating Sanatan Dharma’ and he even congratulated the organisers. Tamil Nadu’s minister in-charge of temples was also present at the function.

Inputs from Poornima Murali