Let’s wait and see: TN deputy CM on Pawan Kalyan’s attack over Sanatana Dharma remarks

Last September, sports minister Udhayanidhi at an event in Chennai had likened “Sanatana Dharma” to diseases such as malaria and dengue

Updated on: Oct 5, 2024, 08:18:16 IST

By Divya Chandrababu

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

Tamil Nadu deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on Friday commented, “Let’s wait and see”, in response to his Andhra Pradesh counterpart Pawan Kalyan’s remark that those opposing “Sanatana Dharma” will be the ones to be wiped out.

Tamil Nadu deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin (PTI)

Last September, months before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, sports minister Udhayanidhi at an event in Chennai had likened “Sanatana Dharma” to diseases such as malaria and dengue, which must be driven away like mosquitoes. His remark catapulted him to the national political stage attracting fury, following which the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accused him and the opposition of being “anti-Hindu”.

Taking the controversy further, Kalyan on Thursday without mentioning Udhayanidhi’s name said, “Don’t say ‘Sanatana Dharma’ is like a virus and you will destroy (it). If anyone tries to wipe out ‘Sanatana Dharma’, you will be wiped out.”

Senior Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leaders had backed him saying that “Sanatana Dharma” is a centuries-old problem, which was also raised by BR Ambedkar.

The BJP national leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah, accused the DMK and the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc of being “anti-Hindu”. Several police cases were filed against Udhayanidhi across the country over his comment, petitions were filed against his remarks in the Surpeme Court and the Madras high court as well as a bounty on his head was also declared.

Udhayanidhi has since doubled down on his comments. But on Friday, without dragging the controversy further, Udhayanidhi smiled and responded, “Okay, let’s wait and see.” This was after an event where Udhayanidhi shared the stage with governor RN Ravi for a varsity convocation.

Udhayanidhi was elevated as his father and chief minister MK Stalin’s deputy last week in the DMK-led government.

ends

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Divya Chandrababu
Divya Chandrababu is an award-winning political and human rights journalist based in Chennai, India. Divya is presently Assistant Editor of the Hindustan Times where she covers Tamil Nadu & Puducherry. She started her career as a broadcast journalist at NDTV-Hindu where she anchored and wrote prime time news bulletins. Later, she covered politics, development, mental health, child and disability rights for The Times of India. Divya has been a journalism fellow for several programs including the Asia Journalism Fellowship at Singapore and the KAS Media Asia- The Caravan for narrative journalism. Divya has a master's in politics and international studies from the University of Warwick, UK. As an independent journalist Divya has written for Indian and foreign publications on domestic and international affairs.Read More

Get the latest India News, breaking headlines and real-time updates from across the country. Stay informed about politics, government policies, crime, weather and major national developments.