- The Congress, Trinamool Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and AAP, which are part of the Opposition INDIA bloc, distanced themselves from Udhayanidhi Stalin.
- The TMC condemned the remarks of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin’s son and said the Opposition bloc had no connection with such comments.
- Congress leader Karan Singh strongly objected to the DMK leader’s comments saying it is “most unfortunate and totally unacceptable”.
- The Bharatiya Janata Party has slammed Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin for his “Sanatana Dharma”
- Hitting out at the BJP, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi accused it of showing “fake concern” over Sanatan Dharma for its politics and called it hypocrisy.
- Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya said the BJP is marketing the word ‘Sanatan’ and they are playing with the sentiments of the people in the name of religion
The Congress, Trinamool Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and Aam Aadmi Party, which are part of the Opposition INDIA bloc, distanced themselves from the DMK leader, who had likened Sanatan Dharma to coronavirus, malaria and dengue and had said such things should not be opposed but destroyed.
The TMC condemned the remarks of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin‘s son and said the Opposition bloc had no connection with such comments. TMC supremo and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, without naming anyone, said people should not comment on anything that may hurt the religious sentiments of the people, adding that she respects Sanatan Dharma. “I have great regard for the people of Tamil Nadu. But my humble request to them, every religion has its separate sentiments. India is a secular country, it is a democratic country and at the same time, unity in diversity is our origin. So, I respect Sanatan Dharma. ” Banerjee said.
Congress leader Karan Singh strongly objected to the DMK leader’s comments saying it is “most unfortunate and totally unacceptable”. Terming the comments preposterous, Karan Singh said that crores of people in India “follow a lesser or greater extent the tenets of Sanatan Dharma”. At a press conference held in Delhi, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal was the first Congress leader to speak on Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi’s remark and said the party believes in “Sarva Dharma Samabhava” and respects everyone’s belief.
Hitting out at the BJP, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi accused it of showing “fake concern” over Sanatan Dharma for its politics and called it hypocrisy.
Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya said the BJP is marketing the word ‘Sanatan’ and they are playing with the sentiments of the people in the name of religion.
Several Union ministers, including Rajnath Singh, Arjun Ram Meghwal, Prahlad Patel, Dharmendra Pradhan and Anurag Thakur took on the opposition alliance and asked it not to play with Hindu sentiments.
Rajnath Singh hit out at the opposition over the comments, wondering why Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Ashok Gehlot are “silent” on the issue.
“What Udhayanidhi Stalin has said is shocking and shameful”, former Union minister and BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is a declared Sanatani, he added.
(With inputs from agencies)
