Chennai: DMK leader and Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin has once again reiterated his stance on Sanatana Dharma, stating that eliminating Sanatana will also eliminate untouchability, even as his earlier remarks continued to court controversy.
"We say that Sanatana Dharma should be abolished only to abolish untouchability. I believe that if Sanatana is destroyed, untouchability will also be destroyed," Stalin said on Tuesday in response to the Tamil Nadu Governor's remarks on social discrimination in the state.
During a cultural event organized by Tamil Seva Sangam in Thanjavur last week, Governor Ravi spoke in detail about the issue of caste-based social discrimination that is still prevalent in various parts of Tamil Nadu.
“We have untouchability, social discrimination. A large section of brothers and sisters are not treated equal. It is painful, it is unacceptable. It is not what the Hindu Dharma says. Hindu Dharma talks about equality”, the governor said.
Udhayanidhi, who is also Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin's son, while, addressing a 'Santana Abolition Conference' recently said, "Uprooting Sanatan Dharma is upholding humanity and human equality.”
He also compared Sanatan Dharma to diseases like dengue, malaria, or the Coronavirus saying that "Few things cannot be opposed; those should be abhorred only. We cannot oppose dengue, mosquitoes, malaria, or coronavirus; we have to eradicate them. That's how we eradicate Sanatana. Rather than opposing Sanatana, it should be eradicated."
His remarks triggered a political controversy in the country with the BJP leaders launching scathing attacks on the opposition parties.
The DMK, being an important constituent of the opposition INDIA alliance, junior Stalin’s remarks have put several parties including the Congress in a catch-22 situation.
Amid this political slugfest, the Congress, Trinamool Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and Aam Aadmi Party, which are part of the Opposition INDIA bloc, distanced themselves from the DMK leader.