DMK Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin’s eradicate Sanatan Dharma remark sparks row; BJP calls it ‘genocidal’

BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya slammed Mr. Stalin for his remarks and said that the minister was calling for “genocide of 80% population of Bharat, who follow Sanatan Dharma.”

Udhayanidhi Stalin, DMK minister and son of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, on September 2 called for the “eradication’ of the Sanatan Dharma” and equated it with diseases like dengue and malaria, inviting sharp criticism from BJP leaders.

BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya slammed Mr. Udhayanidhi Stalin for his remarks and said that the Minister was calling for “genocide of 80% population of Bharat, who follow Sanatan Dharma.”

“Udhayanidhi Stalin, son of Tamilnadu CM MK Stalin, and a Minister in the DMK Gov’t, has linked Sanatana Dharma to malaria and dengue… He is of the opinion that it must be eradicated and not merely opposed. In short, he is calling for genocide of 80% population of Bharat, who follow Sanatan Dharma,” Mr. Malviya posted in a message on X (formerly Twitter).

He also attacked the Congress-led INDIA alliance on the issue.

Posting a video of Mr. Stalin’s speech, he said, “Rahul Gandhi speaks of Mohabbat ki Dukaan [shop of love] but Congress ally DMK’s scion talks about eradicating Sanatana Dharma. Congress’s silence is support for this genocidal call… INDIA Alliance, true to its name, if given an opportunity, will annihilate the millennia-old civilisation that is Bharat.”

Meanwhile, the BJP’s Tamil Nadu chief K. Annamalai accused Mr. Udhayanidhi Stalin of peddling a “bought-out idea from Christian missionaries”.

Mr. Annamalai wrote on X, “The only resolve that the Gopalapuram Family has is to accumulate wealth beyond the State GDP. Thiru @Udhaystalin, you, your father, or his or your idealogue have a bought-out idea from Christian missionaries & the idea of those missionaries was to cultivate dimwits like you to parrot their malicious ideology. (sic)“