DMK's Youth Welfare Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin (File)
CHENNAI: With the BJP going all guns blazing against DMK's Youth Welfare Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin's remark seeking to eradicate 'Sanatana Dharma', the alliance constituents of the INDIA bloc in the State-backed DMK scion, and clarified that his remark was not against Hindus.
Congress leader and Sivaganga MP Karti P Chidambaram said that Sanathana Dharma is nothing but code for a Caste Hierarchical Society. "All those batting for it are hankering for the Good Ole Days! Caste is the Curse of India (sic)," he tweeted.
Sanathana Dharma is nothing but code for a Caste Hierarchical Society. All those batting for it are hankering for the Good Ole Days! Caste is the Curse of India
— Karti P Chidambaram (@KartiPC) September 2, 2023
"In the common parlance of Tamil Nadu "Sanatana Dharma" means Caste Hierarchical Society. Why is it that everyone who is batting for "SD" comes from the privileged segment who are beneficiaries of the "Hierarchy" There was no call for "Genocide" against anyone, this is a mischievous spin," he wrote.
Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) president Thol Thirumavalavan recalled the words of Dr. BR Ambedkar to defend Udhayanidhi Stalin.
"Dr Ambedkar says 'Sanatana Dharma' or Hindu Dharma, is a contagious disease. It should be eradicated and annihilated in the future. Then only we can attain equality among the people. So Minister Udhayanidhi spoke about the ideology of Periyar, the ideology of Ambedkar, ideology of equality. So this is not against the Hindu community. We are opposing and criticising Sangh Parivar's agenda. Their agenda is nothing but Hindutva. So we are not against Hindus. We are against Hindutva which is the political agenda of BJP and RSS," he said.
CPM State Secretariat member K Kanagaraj wondered whether eradicating poverty means killing the poor.
Terming BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya as an ethical disaster for equating the call to eradicate Sanatana Dharma to the genocide of its followers, he asked: "Does eliminating injustice man killing the unjust? Does the abolition of untouchability mean the killing of those practising untouchability? Does eliminating alcohol mean killing alcoholics?"
