Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on Saturday said the DMK won’t be “bothered” even if it loses its government for his comments on eradicating Sanatan Dharma as opposing the code of principles is one of the founding principles of the Dravidian party.
In a brief interaction with reporters, Udhay also made light of India being mentioned as Bharat in the name plate at G20 Summit, calling this as “fulfillment” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s promise in 2014 that he “will change India.”
“He (Modi) has been saying for the past nine years that he will change India. So, he has done that now. He has fulfilled his promise. Congratulations.”
“DMK was established (to oppose the principles of Sanatan Dharma. We are not bothered about the government. We will always stay true to our ideology,” Udhay said in response to a question on the BJP submitting a petition to Governor R N Ravi demanding his dismissal from the Cabinet for participating in a conference against Sanatana Dharma.
“Yes,” he replied, when asked whether he was coming to say the DMK was ready to lose its government for speaking against Sanatan Dharma. He also mocked people who are issuing death threats to him, saying “the demand for me is increasing.”
Udhay also said he merely repeated what India’s first Law Minister and architect of the Constitution, B R Ambedkar, social reformer E V R Periyar, and DMK founder C N Annadurai said about Sanatan Dharma in their lifetimes.
He also took a dig at AIADMK for not coming out with a “clear” stand on the issue. “You have Anna in your party name. Annadurai is one of the most vehement critics of Sanatan Dharma. Please explain your stand,” he added.
Published 09 September 2023, 17:52 IST