Storm over DMK's Sanatan Dharma remarks
Aditi Tandon
New Delhi, September 4
The political storm over DMK scion Udhayanidhi Stalin’s equation of Sanatan Dharma with “diseases that warrant eradication” intensified on Monday, with the ruling BJP asking the opposition INDIA bloc, of which DMK is a major constituent, to come clean on what it described as “anti-Hindu rant of divide-India forces”.
- Editorial: Udhayanidhi’s rant
“A contest is underway to abuse the Hindu and Sanatan Dharma. The opposition bloc could not finalise a convener at its Mumbai meeting, but it did finalise political strategy of abusing Sanatan Dharma. Unable to find electoral feet, these dynasts are reviving an old story line from the ‘divide and rule’ book of the British. They are afraid of the unity of Sanatan Dharma. We want to know why Rahul Gandhi, who hops from temple to temple, is silent?” asked Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan fielded by the BJP to target the INDIA bloc. Even as other top ministers, including Rajnath Singh, stepped up the offensive on the issue and said “anti-India forces are back at work”, the principal opposition party, the Congress, appeared divided. After AICC general secretary KC Venugopal articulated the party’s official position saying the Congress respected all religions “but other parties have freedom of expression”, veteran Karan Singh slammed Udhayanidhi’s remarks. “Udhayanidhi’s preposterous statement that Sanatan Dharma should be eradicated is most unfortunate. Crores of people in this country follow to a lesser or greater extent the tenets of Sanatan Dharma… I take strong objection to Udhayanidhi’s statement,” senior Congressman and J&K ex-Governor Karan Singh said.
Most unfortunate
Udhayanidhi’s statement is most unfortunate. Crores follow tenets of Sanatan Dharma… I take strong objection to the statement. Karan Singh, Congress
Sentiments hurt
Anti-India forces are back at work… DMK has hurt sentiments. The Cong should snap ties with DMK or apologise for Stalin’s remark. Rajnath Singh, Defence Minister
Another Congress stalwart Kamal Nath dissociated from Udhayanidhi’s remarks even as Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge’s son Priyank backed the claims that Sanatan Dharma “pronounced caste differences and inequalities”.
The BJP today said Udhayanidhi’s “calculated remarks made at a meeting in Chennai on Saturday were not “impromptu”.
“There is a clear strategy to demean the Hindu way of life. SP leader Swami Prasad Maurya has made offensive remarks in the past. AAP’s Rajendra Gautam demeaned Hindu deities. Today KC Venugopal crossed all limits by trying to shrug off anti-Sanatan remarks in the name of freedom of speech. The Opposition gets away with this and must explain itself,” said Pradhan, asking Mamata Banerjee, Arvind Kejriwal and Nitish Kumar to explain their stand.
The BJP also termed DMK minister’s statement as anti-Constitution. “The Constitution speaks of Dharma Chakra Pravartana (Dharma Chakra is eternal). The Supreme Court goes by the dictum — where there is dharma there is victory. We want to know if abusing Sanatan Dharma is a Congress policy,” Pradhan asked, recalling SC’s observations that Hinduism is a way of life. Meanwhile, Udhayanidhi appeared defiant and said he would repeat his remark again.
TMC chief and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said, “I respect the people of TN and South India but my humble request to them is to respect all as every religion has separate sentiment.”
