Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s son, DMK leader and Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin’s recent remarks, comparing “Sanatana Dharma” with diseases such as dengue and malaria which must not merely be opposed but “eradicated”, evoked much national outrage.
For the unfamiliar, Encyclopedia Britannica defines Sanatana Dharma as follows: “Sanatana Dharma in Hinduism is used to denote the eternal or absolute set of duties or religiously-ordained practices incumbent upon all Hindus regardless of class, caste or sect.”
Udhayanidhi made these remarks while participating in a conference organized by the Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers and Artists Association on September 2, 2023. He also spoke of points that were made earlier by Periyar and connected them to the DMK’s political platform.
The DMK has its roots in the self-respect movement begun by E.V Ramaswamy Periyar. The early 20th-century movement championed opposition to caste and religion and positioned itself as a rationalist movement against social evils.
Late M. Karunanidhi, Stalin’s father, was an atheist and true disciple of Periyar.
Udhayanidhi asked: “What did Sanatana (Dharma) do to women? It pushed women who lost their husbands into the fire (referring to the erstwhile practice of Sati), it tonsured the heads of widows and made them wear white saris….
What did the Dravidam (the Dravidian ideology followed by DMK regime) do? It gave fare-free travel for women in buses, gave Rs 1,000 monthly assistance to girl students for their college education,” he said.
“A few things cannot be opposed; it should be abolished. We can’t oppose dengue, mosquitoes, malaria, or corona. We have to eradicate this. That’s how we have to eradicate Sanatana Dharma. Rather than opposing Sanatana Dharma, it should be eradicated.”
Even now caste discrimination takes place in certain parts of Tamil Nadu and this was highlighted by Udhayanidhi in his recent film Mamannan, a major hit at the box office.
The September 2 conference was presided over by DMK chief K. Veeramani, who spoke before Udhayanidhi said, “Sanatana dharma and Hinduism are the same.”
Udhayanidhi’s remarks drew national attention, with a BJP spokesperson claiming that he had called for the “genocide of Hindus”. Udhayanidhi later clarified that he meant “evil practices should be eradicated” but the damage was done.
A few days later, an FIR was filed against him by Uttar Pradesh under IPC sections 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage the religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or the religious beliefs) and 153A (promoting enmity between two different groups) based on the complaints from advocates Harsh Gupta and Ram Singh Lodhi.
In their complaint, the duo alleged that the politician’s comments had hurt their feelings. One Swamiji in UP announced a Rs 10 crore reward for Udhayanidhi’s head.
The Congress, the Trinamool Congress, the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray group) and the Aam Aadmi Party, which are part of the Opposition INDIA bloc, distanced themselves from the DMK leader, saying every religion should be respected.
The I.N.D.I.A. bloc distanced itself from such comments. “Whoever he may be, if anyone says something like this, we should condemn such statements,” a TMC spokesperson said.
Without naming anyone, TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, said that people should not comment on anything that may hurt the religious sentiments of the people adding that she respects Sanatan Dharma.
Congress leader Karan Singh strongly objected to the DMK leader’s comments saying it is “most unfortunate and totally unacceptable”.
At a press conference held in Delhi, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal was the first Congress leader to speak on Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi’s remark and said his party believes in “Sarva Dharma Samabhava” and respects everyone’s belief.
Our view is clear: “Sarva Dharma Samabhava” is the Congress’ ideology. Every political party has the freedom to express their views. We are respecting everybody’s beliefs,” said Venugopal.
Despite much criticism, Udhayanidhi did not retract his words but only clarified that he is not against the Hindu religion but the caste-based society propagated by Sanatan Dharma. He steered clear of the “genocide” row, insisting he never called for genocide.
Refusing to tender an apology, he said, “What is the meaning of Sanatan Dharma? It is eternal, that is, it cannot be changed; no one could pose any question and that is the meaning.
“Sanatana Dharma divided people on the basis of caste. I am ready to present extensive writings of Periyar and Ambedkar, who conducted in-depth research on Sanatana Dharma and its negative impact on society….”
He only meant that “evil practices (in Sanatana Dharma) should be eradicated”.
The Chief Minister defended his son saying “Udhayanidhi did not call for genocide as distorted by BJP but only spoke against discrimination.
“Disheartening to see responsible Prime Minister, Union Ministers and BJP chief Ministers ignore facts and be driven on fake narratives.” The PM had said that Udhayanidhi’s remarks needed a proper response.
This is not the first time though that Udhayanidhi has stoked a controversy. Participating in a Christian conclave, he said “I am proud to say I am a Christian, my wife is a Christian and ours is a love marriage.”
Over 260 eminent citizens, including former judges and bureaucrats, wrote to Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud urging him to take cognisance of Stalin’s eradicate “Sanatana Dharma” comment, calling it “hate speech”.
In a letter to the CJI, the signatories, including former Delhi HC judge S.N. Dhingra, said not only did Udhayanidhi Stalin make a hate speech but refused to apologise for his remarks.
The letter, signed by 262 people including 14 retired judges, 130 former bureaucrats and 118 ex-armed forces officers, said, they were deeply concerned over the remarks undeniably amounted to a “hate speech” against a large population of India and struck at the very core of the Constitution of India which envisages a secular nation.
The letter said action is needed in order to preserve the secular character of the country. Any delay on the administration’s part in taking action on very serious issues will invite the court’s contempt, it said.
The state government had refused to take action and acted in contempt of the court’s orders and “gravely undermined or rather made a mockery of the rule of law”, it said.
“We urge the Supreme Court to take suo motu notice of contempt, ensuring accountability for the inaction of the state government o, and take decisive steps to prevent the inducement of hate speech, preserving public order and peace….”
“We sincerely hope for the thoughtful consideration of our plea and implore immediate measures to ensure justice and rule of law to prevail,” it said.
The letter referred to a Supreme Court order wherein it had asked the authorities to take action in cases of hate speech on its own without waiting for a complaint to be filed.
In Shaheen Abdulla versus Union of India and Others, the court had observed that there cannot be fraternity unless different religious communities are amenable to living in harmony.
The top court had expressed concern over the growing hate speeches in the country and directed the governments and police authorities to take suo moto action in such cases without waiting for the lodging of formal complaints, the letter said.
The Constitution envisages a secular nation and directed state governments to come down hard on hate speeches, the court said.
“Thus, cases should be suo motu registered and the offenders proceeded against in accordance with law. Any hesitation to act as per the directions would be viewed as contempt of court.”
The BJP is bound to make it as an election issue to polarise Hindus. With assembly polls due in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram, this will be the major poll plank for the party.
Soon after the CM’s statement defending his son’s remarks, Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai issued a video and said DMK stands for dengue, malaria and kosu (mosquito) and they need to be eradicated.
“We know the DMK drama. In the first year of your power, you oppose the Sanatana Dharma, in the second year, you say abolish Sanatana Dharma.
In the third year, you want to root out Sanatana Dharma. But the fourth year, you say you are a Hindu and 90% of your members are Hindu. The fifth year, you say you are also a Hindu.”
“Tamil Nadu has seen this drama for many, many decades. When the election comes, you become Amar, Akbar, Anthony which Rahul Gandhi has been doing unsuccessfully for the last 17 years. He becomes Amar in one state, Akbar in another state and Anthony in another said.
“In 2024, the DMK will be wiped out. I am not saying it. Your son said it because DMK’s D stands for dengue, M for malaria and K for Kosu (mosquito),” Annamalai said.
The Congress is already upset with the DMK for unnecessarily creating a controversy ahead of elections. But the party cannot afford to antagonise its ally. But whether or not the BJP succeeds in its attempt to win the elections over the Sanatana Dharma controversy remains to be seen.
