We reported last week about the Sanatana Abolition Conclave that was to be held on 2 September 2023 in Chennai. While there was not much fanfare for the programme, remarks made by the speakers,especially Udhayanidhi Stalin, have been sending shockwaves across the country.

Speaking at the event, the son of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development of Tamil Nadu, Udhayanidhi Stalin, said, “There are some things which we have to eradicate, and we can’t merely oppose. Mosquitoes, dengue fever, malaria, Corona are all things we cannot oppose; we have to eradicate them. Sanatanam is also like this.”

“I thank the organisers for giving me the opportunity to speak at this conference to eradicate Sanatana Dharma. I congratulate the organisers for calling the conference as ‘eradicate Sanatana Dharma’ instead of ‘opposing Sanatana Dharma,” he continued.

“Eradicating and not opposing Sanatanam should be our first task. What is Sanatanam? The name Sanatanam comes from Sanskrit. Sanatanam is against equality and social justice. The meaning of Sanatanam is nothing but ‘permanence,’ something which cannot be changed. Nobody can question. This is the meaning of Sanatana,” he said.

 The video clip of these remarks has gone viral on X (formerly Twitter), and the public and political leaders from across the country have condemned the remarks.

Legal cases slapped on Udhayanidhi Stalin

Following this, the Legal Rights Observatory (LRO) has issued a legal notice to the Police Commissioner of Greater Chennai. This notice is related to the spontaneous registration of an FIR against Udhayanidhi Stalin after his hate speech targeting followers of Sanatana Dharma.

Senior Supreme Court lawyer Vineet Jindal also filed a complaint against Udhayanidhi Stalin. Jindal announced on his social media that he had lodged a complaint against Udhayanidhi Stalin. The complaint includes sections of the Indian Penal Code – 120B, 153A, 295, and 504 and relevant provisions under the Information Technology Act, 2000.

Udhayanidhi’s reaction after hate speech went viral

The hate speech against followers of Sanatana Dharma resonated with everyone, and people from all walks of life severely condemned Udhayanidhi Stalin. After the slapping of charges, speaking to the press, he said, “Few are being childish saying I invited for genocide while others are saying that Dravidam should be abolished. Does that mean DMKians should be killed? When PM Modi says ‘Congress Mukt Bharat,’ does that mean Congressmen should be killed? What is Sanatan? Sanatan means nothing should be changed, and all are permanent. But the Dravida model calls for change, and all should be equal,“. He added, “The DMK’s policy is ‘one clan, one God.'”. 

The last statement sounds weird coming from someone who follows an ideology that professes “rationalism” and denies the presence of any God. That Udhayanidhi Stalin openly said he was a Christian also came to be remembered during the past two days. It is likely he is talking of one God, and we leave it to our readers’ imagination as to which God it might be. 

One dynast behaves just like another

When I.N.D.I.Alliance partner Congress’s Priyank Kharge was asked about Udhayanidhi Stalin’s ‘Sanatana Dharma should be eradicated’ remark, he said, “Any religion that does not promote equality or does not ensure you have the dignity of being human is not religion, according to me… Any religion that does not give equal rights or does not treat you like humans is as good as disease…”

Well, it is not very different from his father’s words. As the video of Udhayanidhi Stalin’s remarks went viral on one side, this video of Mallikarjun Kharge, the Congress chief, also started making the rounds on Twitter (X). He says that if Modi-RSS wins, Sanatana Dharma’ will rule again. We must stop them.

While some Congress leaders have distanced themselves from their alliance partner’s remarks, some, like Priyank Kharge, openly support their Dravidian partner by endorsing the hateful Dravidian ideology.