Facing charges of giving hate speech against Sanatan Dharma, Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin has refused to apologise for his ‘Eradicate Sanatan Dharma’ remark. Peddling a victimhood narrative, the controversial DMK leader claimed that his contentious remarks were aimed at addressing the alleged repressive practices towards women. Repeating the politicians’ first line of defense, Stalin Jr further claimed that his words were misinterpreted which sparked a major furor and controversy across the country in September last year.
Notably, Tamil Nadu Deputy CM Udhayanidhi addressed an event on Monday where he said that he was echoing the views of Dravidian leaders like former Chief Minister CN Annadurai, M Karunanidhi, and Periyar, who incidentally was notorious for making anti-Hindu remarks and using derogatory words and acts against Hindu deities.
During the event, Udhayanidhi said, “Women were not allowed to study. They were unable to leave their homes, and if their husbands died, they would have to die as well. Thanthai Periyar spoke against all of this. I echoed what Periyar, Anna, and Kalaignar said.”
For those unversed, the son of Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin, Udhayanidhi Stalin stroked a massive controversy in September 2023, when he likened Sanatan Dharma with diseases like dengue and malaria. He then went on to give a call for its “eradication”. He made the contentious remarks, which are under scrutiny for being hate speech, at an event called the ‘Sanatana Abolition Conference’.
Now, defending himself for the controversial remarks alleged of being hate speech, Udhayanidhi said, “But my words were twisted. Not just in Tamil Nadu, cases were filed against me in several courts across India. They asked me to apologise, but I stand by what I said. I’m the grandson of Kalaignar, and I will not apologise.”
He brazened it off saying that he would face all the cases.
Meanwhile, further in his address, he claimed that there is an attempt to impose Hindi in the state alleging that recent changes to the Tamil Nadu anthem serve as evidence of these efforts. He claimed that certain words were deliberately removed from the state anthem during a recent Doordarshan Tamil program.