Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday reacted to the Sanatana Dharma row for the first time saying the remarks of Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin “need a proper response”. In the informal meeting with the Council of Ministers today, PM Modi highlighted the need to respond to the Sanatana Dharma controversy.
PM Modi’s response comes a day after DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin, citing the Central government’s omission of an invite to President Droupadi Murmu for the inauguration of the new parliament building, said it was an example of the discrimination by the practitioners of Sanatana dharma.
Tamil Nadu minister sparked a political furore over his comments on the Santana Dharma on Saturday. Likening “Sanatana Dharma to coronavirus, malaria, fever caused by dengue virus and mosquitoes”, Udhayanidhi, son of Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin, said it is against equality and social justice and it should be eradicated. “Such things should not be opposed, but destroyed”.
“What did Sanatana do to women? It pushed women, who lost their husbands into fire (the erstwhile practice of Sati), it tonsured the heads of widows and made them wear white saris, child marriages too happened…What did the Dravidam (the Dravidian ideology followed by the 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.
His remarks drew mixed responses from various circles. While the BJP leaders strongly condemned the Tamil Nadu minister’s comments, INDIA bloc parties refrained from criticising the DMK leader openly.