Hitting out at the Opposition leaders over Tamil Nadu Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin’s statement on ‘Sanatan Dharma’, BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad on Thursday said that ‘Sanatan Dharma’ has been given respect in the Constitution and no one can eradicate it.
The BJP leader said, “The Indian Constitution has the images of Lord Ram, Krishna, Arjuna, Nataraja and Hanuman on it and the signatures of Dr Rajendra Prasad, Jawaharlal Nehru, BR Ambedkar and others. ‘Sanatan Dharma’ has been given respect in the Constitution, no one can eradicate it.”
Earlier on Wednesday, PM Narendra Modi in his meeting with Cabinet ministers raised the issue. According to sources, the Prime Minister said that ministers should give a befitting reply to the Sanatana Dharma debate and use facts to counter the Opposition.
Even as the BJP launched an all-out attack on Stalin junior, his father and Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin came out in his defence.
In a post on X, the Tamil Nadu CM said, “Hon’ble Minister @UdhayStalin didn’t call for ‘genocide’ as distorted by BJP, but only spoke against discrimination. Disheartening to see the ‘responsible’ Hon’ble Prime Minister, Union Ministers and BJP Chief Ministers ignore facts and driven on fake narratives despite having all access and resources to verify the facts.” Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu Sports Minister Udyanidhi Stalin and Congress leader Priyank Kharge were booked for allegedly “hurting religious sentiments”.
An FIR was filed on a complaint by two advocates at Rampur in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday.
Udhyanidhi’s remarks triggered a backlash from the BJP, which accused the DMK and the Congress, its partner in Tamil Nadu, of advocating the abolition of the Sanatan Dharma. Speaking at the Chennai conference last week, Udhayanidhi said ‘Sanatana’ (Sanatan Dharma) is like malaria and dengue, which should not be merely opposed but eradicated.
“A few things cannot be opposed but should only be abolished. We can’t merely oppose dengue, mosquitoes, malaria, or corona. They have to be eradicated. Rather than opposing Sanatana, it should be eradicated,” he said.