Sanatana Dharam = untouchability: BR Amdekar's grandson Prakash Ambedkar

NEW DELHI: Amid the ongoing controversy over Tamil Nadu Minister Udhayandhi Stalin's "eradicate Santana Dharma" remark, Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi national president Prakash Ambedkar on Monday referred to Sanatana Dharma as equal to 'untouchability'. Taking to his X handle (formerly known as Twitter), BR Amdekar's grandson shared an image with a text that read, "Sanatana Dharam = untouchability".

On Monday, in another post shared by Prakash Ambedkar on X, he raised questions on Sanatana Dharma. "Sanatan Dharma believes in untouchability. How can we accept Sanatana Dharma!?," he wrote. This development has come at a time when outrage against Udhayanidhi's controversial statement about Sanatana Dharma is already running high.

While addressing a gathering of people at the 'Anti-Santana Conference', Stalin compared Sanatana Dharma to diseases like Dengue, Malaria, and Coronavirus and said it could not be opposed but rather should be eradicated. "Rather than opposing Sanata, it should be eradicated," he said, adding that "the name Sanatana is from Sanskrit. It is against social justice and equality."

The Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) on Monday (September 4) demanded an apology from Congress and the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) over Udhayanidhi's remark and accused INDIA parties of deciding such agendas during the recent meeting. Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said at the 'Parivartan Sankalp Yatra' from Ramdevara in Jaisalmer, "Congress ally DMK is insulting Sanatana Dharma.

They say that Sanatana Dharma should be abolished. Allies of the India coalition have kept silent on this. Why is Gehlot ji silent and Sonia ji silent? Congress and India should apologise." Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also launched a sharp attack on the DMK and Congress party, saying that instead of "taking action against its alliance partner, the party is seeking refuge behind the veil of freedom of speech".

Other senior leaders of the BJP, including BJP President JP Nadda, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath have strongly criticised Udhayandhi's remark and called for strict actions. Meanwhile, on Monday, while addressing the media, Udhayanidi said that he is unaffected by the attacks from different political leaders and is ready to repeat the same thing again and again as he has included all religions and his attack was not targeted at only Hindus.

"The day before yesterday, I spoke at a function about it (Sanatana Dharma). Whatever I said, I'll repeat the same thing again and again. I include all the religions, not just Hindus. I condemned the case difference, that's all," Udhayanidhi said.