Stand by my remarks on Sanatan Dharma: Udhayanidhi defiant as Madras HC slams police inaction

Udhay said he will face any case filed against him “legally”, but made it clear he will continue to speak against the principles of Sanatan Dharma, which he said was the “core ideology” of his party.

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Sports Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on Monday asserted that he stands by his remarks on “annihilating” Sanatan Dharma made at an event on September 2 and that he won’t “back down” from his stand, responding to a Madras High Court order which criticised police for not taking action against him.

Udhay, also the secretary of DMK youth wing, said he will face any case filed against him “legally”, but made it clear he will continue to speak against the principles of Sanatan Dharma, which he said was the “core ideology” of his party. 

In an order dated October 31, justice G Jayachandran of the Madras High Court termed as “dereliction of duty” on the part of police for not taking action against “some members of the ruling party and ministers” in connection with their participation in the conference held here on September 2.  

“Since police failed to act against those who had uttered inflammatory speech to eradicate ‘Sanatan Dharma. Now, permission to counter it by conducting meetings to eradicate ‘Dravidian Ideology’ (has been sought,” the judge said, while dismissing a petition filed by Mahesh Karthikeyan seeking permission to conduct a conference against Dravidianism. 

Persons in power should realise the danger of speech “unflaring fissiparous tendency” and behave responsibly and restrain themselves from propagating views which will divide people in the name of ideology, caste and religion, the judge added in his order. 

“Instead they may concentrate on eradicating intoxicating drinks and drugs which are injurious to health, corruption, untouchability and other social evils,” justice Jayachandran added.

Udhay came under attack from the BJP and right-wing outfits across the country in September for equating Sanatan Dharma with “Dengue, Malaria, and Corona” and calling for its “eradication” from the society.

Responding to the order, Udhay reiterated he would continue to speak his ideology and that he didn’t say anything that B R Ambedkar, India’s first law minister, and social reformer E V R Periyar, haven’t said in the past about Sanatan Dharma.

“There is nothing wrong in what I said. We will face (the case) legally. But I will not go back on my statement. I just spoke my ideology. What I said was right,” the minister said. 

To another question, Udhay added, “I may be a minister today, I may not be a minister tomorrow. I may be a legislator today, I may not be a legislator tomorrow. But I am a human…we have been opposing Sanatan Dharma and we will continue to do it. Sanatan Dharma is thousands of years old.”