Top News

Recently, the statement given by Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader of opposition in Tamil Nadu Assembly Udhayanidhi Stalin on Sanatan was much discussed. While the debate on his statement was going on, VMS Mustafa, an MLA from the ruling Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK), supported Udhayanidhi Stalin. He had said that he is also in the field to eliminate Sanatan. When questions were raised on TVK on this statement, VM Mustafa clarified that he is not against any religion. While handling the matter, a senior leader of TVK has also said that his party is not against any religion but against inequality.

Madhur Badruddin alias V M S Mustafa is TVK MLA from Madurai Central Assembly seat. On Thursday, he had supported the statement of Udhayanidhi Stalin in which Stalin had said that Sanatan should be abolished. After all-round criticism he withdrew his statement. VMS Mustafa had said, ‘We are also in the field to destroy Sanatan Dharma.’ When Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders started criticizing him and the Joseph C Vijay led government for this, he clarified this.

Arjun also gave clarification

Responding to the same issue, Tamil Nadu Minister Aadhav Arjun said that TVK is not against any religion, but opposes inequality. Arjun said, ‘Udayanidhi Stalin has no knowledge of Sanatan Dharma. TVK is against the caste system and religious systems. We consider all religions equal. As a minister and under the leadership of our leader (Chief Minister Vijay), we respect all religions. TVK opposes the caste system, not Hinduism. We are not against Hindus, but against Hindutva.

He further said, ‘Sanatan Dharma in the North is often understood as Hinduism while in the South it is associated with inequality. We believe that all religions should be treated equally and we are not against any religion. He said that Udhayanidhi was also against the caste system.

BJP raised questions

BJP chief spokesperson Narayanan Tirupati alleged that a Muslim person, especially an elected representative, saying derogatory things about Hindu religion and announcing its abolition would seriously harm religious harmony. Narayanan Tirupati asked in a post on ‘X’, ‘Will Mustafa, who criticizes Sanatan Dharma, dare to criticize the Islamic faith? Will he come forward to criticize Christianity?’ The BJP leader said that the belief that one has the right to say anything just because one is in power shows arrogance.

He said, ‘Chief Minister Vijay has not yet condemned Udhayanidhi Stalin’s speech on Sanatan Dharma in the Assembly or the comments of TVK MLA Mustafa. For a Chief Minister who claims to represent all the people, it is not befitting his high position to not condemn criticism of the lifestyle of the majority community. Tirupati said that Sanatana Dharma is ‘alive and eternal’. He said, ‘No one has destroyed or erased it in the past, nor is any person living today capable of doing so, nor will anyone born in the future be able to destroy it.’

Let us tell you that on May 12, Mustafa had said about Udhayanidhi Stalin’s comment erasing Sanatan, ‘We are Periyar E.V. in TVK. Ramasamy and B.R. We follow the ideologies of Ambedkar and we oppose Sanatan Dharma. Mustafa clarified in a post on ‘X’ on Thursday that we are not against any religion.