BJP demands FIR against Udhayanidhi over Sanatan rant

A BJP delegation in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday handed over a memorandum to the state police demanding registration of an FIR against DMK leader and minister Udhayanidhi Stalin for his remarks against ‘Sanatana Dharma’. Speaking at a conference earlier in Chennai, Udhayanidhi, the minister for Sports and Youth Affairs in the Tamil Nadu government, railed against Sanatan Dharma, equating it with “dengue, malaria, fever, and corona”. He added that Sanatan Dharma shouldn’t be merely opposed but eradicated. After meeting the additional director general of police (ADGP), the BJP delegation said there has been a flood of complaints against the DMK leader from across the state but the government was yet to file an FIR. The BJP also cited a recent Supreme Court order directing the police and the state government to register suo-motu complaints in cases of hate speech. The delegation also claimed that non-registration of FIR in the matter tantamounts to contempt of court. Amid the persisting war of words over Udhayanidhi’s remarks, senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad on Tuesday said that the Opposition alliance — INDIA — was formed to “oppose” and “finish” Sanatan Dharma. Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters in the national capital, the BJP leader accused the Opposition alliance of vote bank politics. “Their hidden agenda is to indulge in vote bank politics by opposing Sanatana Dharma. I ask the Congress party and this alliance — Do they have the right to criticise deities of some other faith? Do they have the courage? Can they do it? They are silent on other religions but openly oppose Sanatana,” Prasad said. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, chairing a meeting of the Council of Ministers, weighed in on the furore around Udhayanidhi’s remarks, and, according to sources, asked his ministers to aggressively counter the attack on Sanatan Dharma. He advised his ministers to counter the Opposition’s narrative on the Sanatan Dharma with facts