“Explain Sanatana Dharma”: DMK To BJP After Court Relief To Stalin Junior

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) spokesperson TKS Elangovan called upon Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to ‘explain’ what Sanatan Dharma is after the Madras High Court on Wednesday disposed of the quo warranto petition against Tamil Nadu ministers, including Udhayanidhi Stalin.

“They (BJP) should explain as to what is Sanatana Dharma. Nobody had come forward to explain what Sanatana Dharma is,” Mr Elangovan said.

“The court has observed that they should not be removed from ministership. They should not speak like that. But what we understand – Sanatana Dharma is Manu Dharma. If they say that it is not Manu Dharma, then it is okay, we are not against it,” the DMK leader said.

Earlier in the day, Madras HC Justice Anita Sumanth refrained from issuing quo warranto against Tamil Nadu ministers Udhayanidhi Stalin, PK Sekar Babu, and DMK MP A Raja in connection with remarks on Sanatan Dharma.

The orders were passed on quo warranto pleas filed by office bearers of the Hindu Munnani Organisation.

Earlier on March 4, the Supreme Court questioned Udhayanidhi Stalin over his remarks calling for the eradication of ‘Sanatana Dharma’ and told him that he is “not a layman but a minister”.

Stalin had approached the top court, seeking the clubbing of multiple FIRs registered against him in several states over his remarks.

The bench frowned upon Stalin, saying he should have known the consequences before making remakes.

“You abuse your rights under freedom of speech and expression and the right to freedom of religion and then come to the Supreme Court for protection under Article 32? Do you not know the consequences of what you said?” asked the bench.

DMK leader Stalin made remarks comparing ‘Sanatana Dharma’ to diseases like ‘malaria’ and ‘dengue’ while advocating for its elimination on the grounds that it was rooted in the caste system and historical discrimination.

Minister Sekar Babu, who heads the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department, faced criticism for participating in the conference on Sanatan Dharma, where Udhayanidhi went on an explosive rant, thereby violating his oath of office.

DMK MP A Raja earlier this week stoked a row by stating that Tamil Nadu will never accept the BJP’s ideology of “this is Jai Sri Ram, this is Bharat mata ki jai.”

“If you say it’s this God, this is Jai Sri Ram, this is Bharat Mata ki jai, then we and Tamil Nadu will never accept Bharat Mata and Jai Shri Ram,” Mr Raja had said while addressing a public event in Madurai.