Chennai: Tamil Nadu Minister for Sports and Youth Welfare, Udhayanidhi Stalin, who created a nationwide stir by making derogatory comments against Sanatan Dharam, has again courted controversy by stating that “eliminating Sanatan Dharam would destroy untouchability.”
Udhayanidhi made this statement while speaking to media persons on Wednesday.
The young DMK leader, who is also the son of Chief Minister MK Stalin said, “We say that Sanatan Dharam should be abolished only to abolish untouchability. I believe that if Sanatan Dharam is destroyed, untouchability will also be destroyed.”
He was responding to Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi’s statement on social discrimination in the state.
Udhayanidhi had earlier said that Sanatan Dharam was like dengue, malaria and has to be eradicated. This had led to a major controversy across the nation, with the BJP quickly terming it as a call for genocide.
The BJP’s IT cell head, Amit Malviya had in a tweet said that the DMK leader had called for a genocide of the Hindu population which is 80 per cent of the total population of the country.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah had also publicly said that Udhayanidhi was promoting genocide against the Hindu community.
However, after the INDIA Opposition bloc constituents came out against the statement, the DMK went on the back foot and Stalin publicly said that the BJP and NDA were trying to provoke the Opposition using Sanatan Dharam and that the discussion should be on corruption by the Narendra Modi government.
He also cited CAG reports and called for a fight against the BJP, NDA combine on the corruption issue.
—IANS