Udhayanidhi Stalin has been booked for his call to eradicate Sanatan Dharma and Priyank Kharge for backing his remark. An FIR has also been filed against Amit Malviya.
New Delhi: The Uttar Pradesh Police registered an FIR against Udhayanidhi Stalin and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s son Priyank Kharge over the former’s controversial “Sanatan Dharma eradication” remark while BJP IT cell chief has been booked by the Tamil Nadu Police for “distorting” the DMK Minister’s comments.
Udhayanidhi Stalin has been booked for his call to eradicate Sanatan Dharma and Priyank Kharge for backing his remark, the UP police said on Wednesday. They said that an FIR under sections 295 A (deliberate and malicious acts to outrage religious feelings) and 153 A (promoting enmity between different religious groups) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), was registered at Civil Lines Police Station in Rampur on Tuesday.
An official said the FIR was registered based on a complaint filed by lawyers Harsh Gupta and Ram Singh Lodhi who highlighted media reports on Stalin’s statement alleging that the politician’s comments had hurt their feelings.
FIR against Malviya
Meanwhile, BJP’s IT department in-charge, Amit Malviya was on Wednesday booked by the Tamil Nadu Police for “distorting” Stalin Jr’s remark on Sanatan Dharma.
Days after Malviya posted on X that the DMK leader had called for “genocide” of 80 per cent population who follow Sanatan Dharma, the Tiruchirappalli city police said a case has been registered under IPC sections for deliberately misrepresenting Udhayanidhi’s remark to cause disharmony and create enmity among different sections of people.
The FIR was registered following a complaint, they said and did not elaborate.
Complaint filed against Ayodhya Seer who called for Stalin Jr’s head
In another development, a local DMK leader said he has filed a police complaint against Ayodhya Seer Paramhans Acharya for circulating a video wherein he announced a bounty of Rs 10 crore on Udayanidhi Stalin’s head.
In the video, Acharya had announced that he will hand a Rs 10 crore prize to anyone who beheads the Tamil Nadu minister.
#WATCH | Madurai, Tamil Nadu: District organiser of the DMK legal wing J Devasenan says, “Today I had given a complaint against Ayodhya Seer Paramhans Acharya. Last week he circulated a video against our state minister Udayanidhi Stalin stating – ‘If anyone brings the head of the… pic.twitter.com/FJOuSWKB5K
— ANI (@ANI) September 6, 2023
“Today I had given a complaint against Ayodhya Seer Paramhans Acharya. Last week he circulated a video against our state minister Udayanidhi Stalin stating – ‘If anyone brings the head of the minister then the person who brings the head, will be gifted Rs 10 crores.’ The video that has been circulated on social media is offensive and alarming to the public…So today, I had given a complaint and on the basis of the said complaint a case has been registered,” District organiser of the DMK legal wing J Devasenan said, according to news agency PTI.
The Sanatan Dharma row
On Saturday last, Udhayanidhi Stalin, the son of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, sparked a massive row as he equated Sanatan Dharma with contagious diseases like dengue, malaria and Covid-19, Speaking at a ‘Sanatana Abolition Conference’, Udhayanidhi compared Sanatan Dharma to viral diseases and asserted that the ideology must not only be opposed, but “eradicated”.
“Few things cannot be opposed, that should be abolished only. We can’t oppose Dengue, Mosquitoes, Malaria, or Corona, we have to eradicate this that’s how we have to eradicate Sanatana. Rather opposing Sanatana it should be eradicated,” the Tamil Nadu Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development told the gathering, according to news agency ANI.
“I thank the organisers of this conference for giving me the opportunity to deliver a special address. You have kept the name of the conference as ‘Sanatana Abolition Conference’ rather than ‘Anti-Sanatana Conference’, I appreciate that,” Udhayanidhi further said.
He is Udhayanidhi Stalin
He is son of Tamilnadu Chief Minister Stalin & also a minister in Tamil Nadu’s DMK govt
He has equated Sanatana Dharma to diseases like malaria and dengue
What does he mean by it? Is he conspiring to ki!l Hindus?
Will he be arrested? pic.twitter.com/kxADZ426d5
— Mahesh Vikram Hegde 🇮🇳 (@mvmeet) September 2, 2023
Udhayanidhi’s controversial remarks triggered a huge political storm as the BJP and its allies doubled down on condemning the minister’s comments which they claimed called for genocide of Hindus in the country.
Won’t back down: Udhayanidhi
Udhayanidhi, however, has remained defiant and refused to apologize for his remarks. On Friday, the actor-turned politician cited the Central government’s omission of an invite to President Droupadi Murmu for the inauguration of the new parliament building as an example of discrimination by practitioners of Sanatana dharma.
Stalin Jr has reiterated his defiant stance on the issue and asserted that he is ready to face any legal action for his comments against Sanatana Dharma.
His comments have put the allies of INDIA bloc between a proverbial rock and hard place ahead of some upcoming state elections and next year Lok Sabha polls. While the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party and Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) have voiced clear disapproval of Stalin’s comments, the Congress has taken a subtle stance, stating that all religions must be respected though all people have a right to freely express their opinions.
Congress leaders like Priyank Kharge and Karti Chidambaram have backed Udhayanidhi Stalin.
(With inputs from Agencies)