Disapproving the remarks made by Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on ‘Sanatan Dharma’, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut has said it is not right to attract the anger of the entire country and that no one agrees with his statement.
Udhayanidhi is also the son of DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin. The party is one of the constituents of the opposition INDIA alliance.
Raut said a certain region of south India may have a different view on religion, but it should keep that to itself.
“It is not right to attract the anger of the entire country by making such remarks. No one agrees with the remarks made by Udhayanidhi on Sanatan Dharma. Even if such views are personal, they should keep it to themselves,” the Rajya Sabha member said on Thursday.
“He may have a personal view and it could be part of the Dravidian culture,” Raut added.
Earlier this week, Udhayanidhi likened Sanatana Dharma to malaria and dengue. Latching on to it, the BJP has been targeting the INDIA alliance, a group of 28 opposition parties.
Adding fuel to the raging debate, the DMK’s Lok Sabha MP and former Union minister A Raja has likened it to diseases like leprosy and HIV which had social stigma. The remarks have prompted the BJP to accuse opposition leaders of suffering from “deep-rooted Hinduphobia”.
Raut said every religion has beliefs and superstitions, but the revolt on issues like untouchability has come from within the Hindu religion.
“From Raja Rammohan Roy to Jyotiba Phule to B R Ambedkar, the country has seen many great social reformers, which is why Sanatan Dharma is still alive in the country,” Raut said.
As the row over Raja and Stalin junior’s remarks snowballed into a major political row, the Congress sought to distance itself from their statements, while Tamil Nadu CM Stalin accused the BJP of being ‘desperate’ to create divisions in the INDIA opposition bloc.
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