Union home minister Amit Shah on Sunday hit out at the Opposition-led I.N.D.I.A. coalition over the remark made by DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin's remark on an endonym frequently used to refer Hinduism – Sanatana Dharma – and said the Opposition bloc ‘hates Hinduism’.
“You (Opposition) want power but at what cost? You have been disrespecting the Sanatana Dharma and the culture and history of this country,” Shah said addressing a rally in poll-bound Rajasthan's Dungarpur. He further alleged that Stalin's remark is a part of I.N.D.I.A. bloc's ‘vote-bank politics’ and ‘appeasement tactic’. “The sons of a (former) Union finance minister and Tamil Nadu chief minister are claiming to end the Sanatana Dharma. Are you (public) ready to end the Sanatana Dharma?” he asked.
Also read: Congress MP defends Udhayanidhi Stalin's 'eradicate Sanatana' remarks: ‘Mischievous spin’
The Union minister also recalled former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's statement where he allegedly said that the first rights on Union Bugdet are of the minorities. “In the greed of vote bank, they (Congress) gave the rights on Budget first to the minorities,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}The Union minister also recalled former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's statement where he allegedly said that the first rights on Union Bugdet are of the minorities. “In the greed of vote bank, they (Congress) gave the rights on Budget first to the minorities,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}Shah further took a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for allegedly comparing Hindu organisations with terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba.
On Saturday, Udhayanidhi, who is also a minister in the Tamil Nadu government, compared Sanatana Dharma with the likes of dengue, malaria among other diseases and said ‘we have to eradicate them’. “Rather than merely opposing Sanatana, it should be eradicated,” he said at a presser.