'Sanatan Dharma' remark row: 'I stand firmly by every word I have spoken,' says Udhayanidhi Stalin

Following his words, BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya wrote on X, "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 follow Sanatan Dharma."

Malviya has also linked DMK's ally in Tamil Nadu, Congress, besides taking a dig at the opposition alliance INDIA's Mumbai meet.

Malviya said, "DMK is a prominent member of the Opposition block and a long standing ally of the Congress. Is this what was agreed in the Mumbai meet?"

Sharing Malviya's post, Udhayanidhi wrote on X, "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.

"I stand firmly by every word I have spoken. I spoke on behalf of the oppressed & marginalized, who suffer due to the Sanatan Dharma. I am ready to present the extensive writings of Periyar and Ambedkar, who conducted in-depth research on Sanatan Dharma and its negative impact on society in any forum."

The DMK leader, who is the Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development, added, "Let me reiterate the crucial aspect of my speech: I believe, like the spread of diseases like COVID-19, Dengue, and Malaria by mosquitoes, that Sanatan Dharma is responsible for many social evils.

"I am prepared to confront any challenges that come my way, whether in a court of law or the people's court. Stop spreading fake news."

What did Stalin Jr. say about Sanatan Dharma?

In an address in Chennai last Saturday, Udhayanidhi said as quoted by The Indian Express, "Some things cannot be opposed, they should be eradicated. Mosquitoes, dengue fever, malaria, and Corona cannot be opposed. They should be eradicated. So should Sanatan (Dharma)."

The DMK minister said, "What did Sanatanam do to women? It prevented them from stepping out of the house, made them commit sati (self-immolation on their husband’s pyre), and shave their head and wear a white saree post their husband’s death. It also led to child marriages."

"While we think of introducing schemes to benefit our student’s education, fascists are coming up with schemes to stop them from achieving that because the principle of Sanatanam is that we shouldn’t study at all, and NEET is one fine example of that," he added.