A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi instructed his cabinet Ministers to give “a proper response” to the comments made by Tamil Nadu Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on Sanatana Dharma, Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin said that it is disheartening to hear such a response from the PM. “The Honourable Prime Minister  has access to all the resources to verify any claim or report. So, is the Prime Minister speaking unaware of the lies spread about Udhayanidhi, or does he do so knowingly?,” asked Stalin. 

On September 2, Udhayanidhi, who is also CM Stalin’s son, had triggered a political row after he equated ‘Sanatana Dharma’ with mosquitoes and diseases like Malaria and dengue, which had to be eradicated. The Minister’s statement was distorted by the BJP as calling for a genocide against followers of Sanatana Dharma. 

MK Stalin said that some individuals still denigrate women on spiritual platforms, arguing that women should not work, widowed women should not remarry and so on. “They use the term "Sanatan" to perpetuate the oppression of women, who make up more than half of humankind. Minister Udhayanidhi spoke out only against such oppressive ideologies and called to eradicate the practices based on those ideologies,” the TN CM said. 

Claiming that the Prime Minister is rattled by the INDIA alliance, Stalin went on to say that the BJP is not genuinely concerned about the discriminatory practices in Sanatan but rather desperate to create divisions within the opposition alliance. It doesn't take a political genius to recognise this as a political gimmick,” he added. 

Stating that his party, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), operates under the motto of “One clan, One God,” Stalin said that the DMK provided to women what was denied by Sanatan principles. We respect every individual's feelings and strive to make them self-respecting citizens. Our movement ensures a peaceful life for everyone, regardless of their race, language, or caste,” he said.