Sanatan Dharma row: BJP slams Udhayanidhi, says I.N.D.I.A bloc competing to abuse Hinduism

The saffron party fielded Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who said that the leaders of the I.N.D.I.A coalition are competing among themselves in abusing Hinduism.

The BJP on Monday mounted an attack on the I.N.D.I.A bloc over DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin's ‘Sanatan Dharma’ remark, and said that while the grouping is yet to decide on a leader, it has already insulted Hindus.

The party fielded Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who said that the leaders of the I.N.D.I.A coalition are competing among themselves in abusing Hinduism. “A competition of abusing, cursing and humiliating India's civilisation and basic faith—Sanatan Dharma—has started among the leaders of this arrogant coalition,” Pradhan said at a press conference at the party headquarters.

Pradhan added that Udhayanidhi's comments came on the back of the I.N.D.I.A meet in Mumbai, where the Opposition bloc failed to appoint a leader. “Sometimes it is Udhayanidhi, sometimes it is Karti Chidambaram, sometimes Priyank Kharge, and sometimes Swami Prasad Maurya: all of them are engaged in defaming our religion at different times under a plan,” he said.

He said that the Supreme Court has said that no leader should do anything that creates tension in the society. “Before 2014 the word ‘saffron terrorism’ was brought in. They did this because the ground beneath them had slipped, and so to set a narrative and to spread tension and hatred in the society, they invented the word,” Pradhan said.

Senior party leader Ravi Shankar Prasad, too, trained his guns at the coalition and asked why Rahul Gandhi was quiet over the comments.

Udhayanidhi, whose comments led to a political storm, accused the BJP of twisting his words and said that the BJP was scared of the alliance. “I am ready to face any cases they file against me,” he said.