In a rally held in Madhya Pradesh’s Bina, Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the Opposition’s INDIA alliance of attempting to undermine “Sanatana Dharma,” a culture and tradition that inspired historical figures like Devi Ahilyabai Holkar and Rani of Jhansi, Lakshmibai. This marks the Prime Minister’s first public response to the controversy ignited by DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin’s remarks equating “Sanatana Dharma” with diseases and advocating for its eradication.
Earlier this month, Udhayanidhi Stalin, during a conference in Chennai, had stated, “Few things cannot be opposed, they should be eradicated. We can’t oppose dengue, mosquitoes, malaria, or corona, we have to eradicate them. In the same way, we have to eradicate Sanatana (Sanatan Dharma), rather than opposing it.”
The BJP swiftly reacted, accusing the DMK leader of endorsing the genocide of the 80 percent of India’s population that follows Sanatana Dharma. Prime Minister Narendra Modi reportedly instructed his council of ministers to provide a “proper response” to Udhayanidhi’s remarks.
During the G20 Summit, the BJP had temporarily shifted its focus from domestic politics to international relations, emphasizing the summit’s achievements. However, with the summit concluded, the “Sanatana Dharma” issue has once again taken center stage in most of the BJP’s election campaigns.
Since the conclusion of the G20 Summit, BJP heavyweights, including Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, JP Nadda, and PM Modi, have consistently criticized the Opposition over the Sanatana Dharma controversy in their rallies across poll-bound states.
JP Nadda, the BJP’s national president, took to social media, asserting that the INDIA alliance is primarily engaged in two activities: disparaging Sanatana culture and intimidating the media.
“These days, the I. N. D. I Alliance is ONLY doing 2 things: BASHING SANATANA SANSKRITI – each party is competing to outdo the other in hurling the choicest abuses towards Sanatana Sanskriti. BULLYING THE MEDIA- filing FIRs, threatening individual journalists, making “lists” in true Nazi style of who to target,” Nadda stated on X.
