Shah leads attack in row over Stalin Jr's 'Sanatana' speech

A political tussle over Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin's remarks on Sanatana Dharma escalated on Sunday, with Union home minister Amit Shah accusing him of "insulting" Hindu beliefs as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) attacked the Opposition's INDIA grouping over appeasement politics.

- 

Udhayanidhi, the son of Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin, maintained that he will not be cowed down by "saffron threats" while pushing for an egalitarian society. Addressing a meeting of the Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers and Artists Association in Chennai on Saturday, Udhayanidhi called for the eradication of Sanatana Dharma (a set of duties and way of living as proscribed in the Hindu religion) to establish social justice and equality.

"Few things cannot be opposed, they should only be abolished. We can't oppose dengue, mosquitoes, or corona [Covid-19], we have to eradicate them. In the same way, we have to eradicate Sanatana [Dharma]. Rather than merely opposing Sanatana, it should be eradicated," he said in Tamil.

During his speech, the 45-year-old MLA said Sanatana Dharma stood "against equality and social justice". "What is the meaning of Sanatana? It is eternal, that is, it cannot be changed; no one could pose any question, and that is the meaning," he said, adding that the doctrine led to the division of society on caste lines.

Targeting Udhayanidhi for his comments, Shah said members of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, or INDIAa coalition of 28 Opposition parties, including the DMK - have resorted to hurting Hindu religious sentiments for the sake of vote bank politics.