New and strange dimensions are being given by the Opposition to the “eradicate Sanatana Dharma” call given by Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin. Now, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and DMK ally in the I.N.D.I Alliance has said that it is the BJP that is playing politics on the issue.
AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj defended the DMK saying that the party’s ideology was always athiesm. He used this logic to say that the BJP was in alliance with the DMK in 1999 despite knowing that it was an atheist party, asking why BJP is questioning them now.
“What right does the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have now that it is questioning the DMK? Why did you run the government with them when they were following the same ideology?” the Delhi minister asked.
AAP MP Sanjay Singh too took his attack up a notch saying that it is the BJP and PM Modi who have harmed the Hindu faith the most of all. This comes two days after AAP leader Raghav Chadha said that Udhayanidhi Stalin’s comments cannot be considered the official stand of the Opposition alliance.
Chadha said, “I am from Sanatan Dharma. I condemn and oppose such statements. Such kind of statements should not be made. One should stay away from making such remarks on any religion. We should respect all religions.”
Earlier on Thursday, Prime Minister Modi while addressing a gathering in Bina, Madhya Pradesh, said that the I.N.D.I Alliance wants to erase Sanatana Dharma and push the country back into slavery for 1,000 years. Terming the opposition bloc as ‘ghamandiya’ (arrogant) the PM said that they have decided on a “hidden agenda” to destroy ‘Sanatan Dharma’ which gave inspiration to Swami Vivekananda and Lokmanya Tilak.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on 13 September said that Sanatan Dharma is the national religion of Bharat. “Unfortunately, some people are trying to put the Hindu identity within a narrow ambit. When Muslims from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh go to Mecca for Hajj (holy Muslim pilgrimage) they are addressed as Hindus in Saudi Arabia because it’s not a caste-related word, but a sign of cultural salutation of Bharat,” the UP CM said.