Daijiworld Media Network - Chennai
Chennai, May 14: BJP leader K Annamalai on Thursday launched a strong political attack on the DMK and TVK, accusing both parties of expressing hostility towards Sanatana Dharma following recent remarks made in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.
The controversy resurfaced after DMK MLA Udhayanidhi Stalin reiterated his earlier comments on “Sanathanam” in the Assembly, which once again triggered a political storm in the state.
Adding to the debate, TVK MLA V. M. S. Mustafa publicly supported Udhayanidhi Stalin’s statement, further intensifying the confrontation between parties.
In a post on social media platform X, Annamalai alleged that both the DMK and TVK had consistently demonstrated what he described as hostility towards Sanatana Dharma, claiming the two parties were ideologically aligned on the issue.
He said the two parties, in his view, were “two sides of the same coin” and accused them of concealing their true political stance during election campaigns while revealing it only after coming to power or securing electoral support.
Annamalai also alleged that if either party truly held such views, they should have openly declared them during elections instead of what he described as “political theatrics” and appeals to secularism.
He further warned that repeated criticism of Hindu beliefs would not go unnoticed by the public, stating that Sanatana Dharma was not, in his words, a “punching bag” for political parties.
The remarks come amid an ongoing political dispute in Tamil Nadu over statements made by Udhayanidhi Stalin regarding Sanatana Dharma, a controversy that has remained a sensitive issue for the past two years.
The BJP has repeatedly accused the DMK of hurting Hindu sentiments, while the DMK maintains that its criticism is directed at social inequalities and caste-based discrimination linked to certain practices associated with Sanatana traditions, rather than targeting any religion itself.
The entry of TVK MLA Mustafa into the debate has added a new dimension to the issue, with the BJP now attempting to frame the DMK and the actor-turned-politician Vijay-led TVK as sharing similar ideological positions on the matter.