Amid row over DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin's remark on Sanatan Dharma – an endonym frequently used to represent Hinduism – the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) renewed its attack at the Opposition-led I.N.D.I.A. coalition with an old video clip of a speech given by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. With this, the BJP alleged that Congress, along with Stalin, ‘has a problem with Sanatan’.
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In the video clip, Kharge could be heard making remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi while claiming that voting PM Modi back to power will lead to rule of Sanatan Dharma and RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh).
Sharing the clip, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that ‘abolition and termination of Sanatan is an agenda of the I.N.D.I. alliance as a whole’. “No wonder Uddhav and Rahul have not condemned the statement yet,” he added.
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.
{{/usCountry}}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.
{{/usCountry}}This led to a furore where BJP said similar claims were made earlier by other Congress leaders. Earlier, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma warned that if Congress doesn't distance itself from DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin's controversial remarks on Sanatan Dharma, it will 'confirm' public's perception that the party is 'anti-Hindu'.
"This is a test for Rahul Gandhi. He has to take a decision whether he respects Sanatan Dharma or not," he said.