Did DMK’s Udhayanidhi Stalin talk to Eradicate Sanatan Dharma

Udhayanidhi Stalin, the son of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, spoke at the "Sanatana Abolition Conference" on September 2, 2023. In his speech, he compared Sanatana Dharma (Hinduism) to diseases such as malaria and dengue, saying it should be "eradicated".
Stalin said, "The title of this conference has been excellently coined. You've named it as 'Abolish (eradicate) Sanatan Conference' and not 'Oppose Sanatan Conference', so my best wishes."
His comments have been met with widespread criticism from Hindu groups, who have accused him of hate speech and religious intolerance. The BJP has also condemned his remarks, calling them "divisive" and "communal".
Udhayanidhi Stalin has defended his comments, saying that he was only speaking against the "oppressive" aspects of Sanatana Dharma. He has also said that he respects all religions.



DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin added, "Mosquitoes, dengue, flu, malaria, corona – we should not oppose these things. They've to be eradicated. The same is the case with Santanam (Hinduism). Our first work should be to abolish/eradicate Sanatanam instead of opposing it. So, I appreciate you all giving an apt title to the meeting."
Later, taking to X, he shared a tweet regarding the anti-Hindu event and asserted that they would eliminate Sanatan. He wrote in the tweet (translated), While attending the Sanatana Abolition Conference of the Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers Artists Association today, they asked to publish a book entitled RSS's Contribution in the Indian Liberation War. It was surprising to see the vast volume of the book when the RSS had no contribution to the liberation war. We opened up and saw what kind of contribution they made. The first page featured a photograph of an Englishman brushing his shoe with his tongue. Next came a picture representing the assassination of Gandhi. All subsequent pages were blank. When I asked why, they gave me a pen in my hand, saying that I, too, can fill in that history. We draw three significant zeros. Kudos to the DMK comrades for exposing such zero-history Sanatanadis to the public. We will defeat the fascists in the electoral field and eliminate Sanatana.



The controversy is likely to further polarize the political landscape in Tamil Nadu, where the DMK and the BJP are the two main parties.
Here are some of the reactions to Udhayanidhi Stalin's speech:
· The Hindu Munnani, a Hindutva group, called for his arrest and said that his remarks were "an attack on the Hindu faith".
· The BJP said his comments were "divisive and communal" and called for him to apologize.
· The DMK said that he was only speaking against the "oppressive" aspects of Sanatana Dharma and that he respects all religions.
The controversy is likely to further polarize the political landscape in Tamil Nadu, where the DMK and the BJP are the two main parties.
Legal activist group Legal Rights Observatory said they would take legal steps against the anti-Hindu event and the speakers.


About The Author

Ashwin Roy is an Indian fact-checker and news writer, writing news for Ayupp since 2014.

You Might Be Interested In

Latest On Ayupp.com