Tamil Nadu Sports Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin has issued a letter clarifying his statements on ‘Sanatan Dharma’ and accusing BJP leaders of twisting his speech.
He said, “The BJP leaders have twisted my speech at the TNPWAA conference as ‘inciting genocide’. They considered it a weapon to protect themselves.”
The DMK Minister also questioned the BJP-led Central government’s track record over the past nine years, highlighting that people across the country are questioning the government’s unfulfilled promises.
Stalin stated, “For the last 9 years, all your (BJP) promises are empty promises. What have you exactly done for our welfare?”
He further expressed surprise that Union Ministers like Amit Shah and Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled states were demanding action against him based on fake news. “I am one of the political heirs of Perarignar Anna, the founder of the DMK. Everyone knows that we are not enemies of any religion,” he asserted.
Stalin condemned Ayodhya Seer Paramhans Acharya for announcing a bounty of 10 crore for his beheading and suggested that some saints are in need of advertisement in this era. He urged DMK cadres not to engage in activities like burning effigies of the saint, stressing that there is important work to be done for the benefit of the people. He pledged to face all legal cases with the guidance of the DMK President and the support of the legal department.
Meanwhile, a delegation of Tamil Nadu BJP leaders led by state chief K Annamalai met Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi and submitted a petition calling for cases to be registered against Udhayanidhi Stalin for his alleged hate speech. BJP leader Karu Nagarajan explained that Udhayanidhi Stalin’s remarks were perceived as a call to eradicate Hinduism, and they requested the Governor to remove him from the cabinet along with HR & CE Minister Sekar Babu, who participated in the same programme.