Chief Minister Stalin is a man of few words. When he speaks he is crisp, calm, & composed, not given to the familiar rhetorical flourishes that characterise Dravidian dialogues. His hallmark is restraint. As an observer of his career and public behavior and as a good friend despite deep differences with his party ideology, I have felt and also written as much that, as early as 2016 polls, he should have become CM.
Ater all no other leader has traversed the length and breadth of the State as he had, with direct contact with people in every nook and cranny. That he reigns in that well deserved post is prize for his patience and unstinted hard work, something no other leader can lay claim to. Duty, Dignity, Discipline runs the much touted credo of Anna’s DMK and it’s offshoots. Without commenting on the track record of his predecessors, I can say with credulity that Stalin has scored on all these counts. The usual criticism of family rule no longer appeals to me as heir-splitting is an all party national phenomenon.
This rather long prelude about Stalin is not to defend Sanatana Dharma or to talk about the controversy over it. Just the opposite in fact. Of course Udhayanidhi Stalin’s unwarranted comment on Santana Dharma can be taken as some kind of a ‘fresher enthusiasm’ which we call in Tamil as ‘Aarva Kolaru’. But in places like progressive writers forum they are supposed to speak like this and such kind of talk is only considered progressive. Unlike his father who is not easily provoked, Udhayanidhi was probably carried away by the speeches that came earlier. And he was primed for such talk. He compared Hindu religion and Sanatana Dharma to Malaria or viruses that cause Covid.
What hurts many and is sure to act as boomerang for DMK is party MP and former Union Minister A Raja’s remarks on the same after Udhayanidhi’s statement. He has gone a step forward and said Udhayanidhi was very soft in calling Sanatana Dharma as Malaria or Corona virus. Raja has said something obnoxious. He remarked that Hinduism should be equated to diseases that carry ‘social stigma’ like HIV & leprosy. Forget Sanatana Dharma. We know the views of these people and we cannot expect them to talk high or even moderately about Sanatana Dharma. The former Telecom Minister has a track record of making such remarks. But this time he is caught in a bind. Because the impression Raja has given us is that diseases like HIV and leprosy carry social stigma. All over the world millions and millions are spent on those people who suffer for no fault of theirs and many individuals, NGOs strive to empathise with them and struggle to elevate them to give them a place in society. But this man says without winking his eye that these diseases carry social stigma.
2000 years back, Jesus Christ lived with lepers to emancipate them, not to eradicate them. Is Raja saying that Christ was wrong? He owes an answer to Christians.Cut to present, all would gave known about Kappalotiya Thamizhan V O Chidambaram Pillai, who ran his own shipping line against the British. And we all know that he hugged his friend Subramaniam Siva, who was a lepper, despite the latter trying to move away from him. Does Raja mean to say Subramaniam Siva carried social stigma and was VOC was wrong in showing his love towards his afflicted friend. How can a MP and a former Union Minister talk in such regressive manner in the name of attacking Sanata Dharma.
Well we have no idea of Raja’s behaviour on duty and discipline. But we know that he is notorious for kicking the middle dignity from the high hills of Nilgiris all too often with his nasty tongue.
Many of Raja’s own constituents would be those affected by these diseases. Would he shun such stigmatic votes? Indeed instead of addressing the plight of such people, Raja has ended up damaging their status in society. To put it crudely, what would be his stand if someone in his family were to face such a plight, God forbid. These are times when body shaming is a crime and efforts are made to make differently-abled feel comfortable. Here is a man holding public office making such ‘illegal’ remarks without any compunction.
Such people in the name of attacking Sanatana Dharma are crossing all limits. Well Udhayanidhi Stalin is young and may mellow and mature by age and experience. He will grow out of such rabid utterances. But the likes of Raja will only grow bolder if left unchecked.
It’s high time the Chief Minister should reign in Raja. The latter has not just brought down the reputation of his party but also those affected by these diseases. DMK claims that it is fighting for social justice. But what Raja said is gross injustice to individuals who suffer from these diseases and those fighting to give them a respectable place in society sans social stigma. I am sure Stalin would understand the sentiments and sensibilities of all and would do the needful in order to undo the damage done by Raja not to Santana Dharma but to many such people suffering from such diseases in all religions of the world.