Sanatan Dharma row: The politics of Udhayanidhi Stalin

He has stirred a political row with his comments on Sanatan Dharma. Udhayanidhi Stalin has angered the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who has accused him of calling for genocide. Now a complaint has been filed against the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) dynast with Delhi Police by a Supreme Court lawyer and the Hindu Sena and they have sought an FIR.

Udhayanidhi Stalin has grabbed national headlines and is likely to face more flak. The controversy is far from over.

We take a look at Udhayanidhi’s rise in politics and his life beyond.

Who is Udhayanidhi Stalin?

Udhayanidhi Stalin is the sports and youth affairs minister of Tamil Nadu. The son of Chief Minister MK Stalin, the 45-year-old took a political plunge in 2019.

Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, he was made the secretary of the DMK’s youth wing.

During the state election campaign, the DMK cadre was taken by his charisma. He travelled across the state with a brick with the words “AIIMS” on it. He told the public that the AIADMK government had promised an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Madurai, the foundation stone for which was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but the work on it was yet to begin.

Udhayanidhi made his electoral debut in 2021 from Chennai’s Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni, which is a DMK bastion held by his grandfather Karunanidhi from 1996 to 2011, and emerged victorious. A year later, Udhayanidhi joined the state Cabinet.

But Udhayanidhi had a career beyond politics. He was a Tamil actor and producer, who made his debut in 2012. He played the lead role in a rom-com titled Oru Kal Oru Kannadi.

Most recently, in June, Udhayanidhi acted in a political drama Maamannan, which was directed by known filmmaker Mari Selvaraj, and produced by Red Giant, a production house linked to Udhayanidhi. The movie dwelled on caste and its role in Dravidian politics.

However, Udhayanidhi said that it would be his last project as an actor. “I would probably give myself a five on 10 as an actor. It has been a short span where I did about fifteen films. But I will always be proud of my first film and my last,” he said in a conversation with The Hindu in June.

While the DMK scion may have bid goodbye to acting, his production house wields great influence on the Tamil film industry. When the party was in power from 2006 to 2011, it was accused of attempting to monopolise the industry, according to a report in The Indian Express.

Udhayanidhi is married to Kiruthiga, a film director and editor of a literary magazine. She wrote and directed a web series, Paper Rocket, which was released last year.

He is close to his mother Durga, who ensured a smooth succession process in the party. She did not want Udhayanidhi to face any hurdlers like her husband did who often clashed with his brother Alagiri.
Udhayanidhi is said to be the future of DMK. Right now, he has put his party in a spot with his controversial comments.

Also read: Udhayanidhi Stalin row: What is Sanatan Dharma that Tamil minister 'wants to eradicate'?

What did Udhayanidhi say about Sanatan Dharma?

At a meeting of the Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers and Artists Association in Chennai on Saturday, Udhyanidhi was quoted saying, “Some things cannot be opposed, they should be eradicated. Mosquitoes, dengue fever, malaria, and corona cannot be opposed. They should be eradicated. So should Sanatan [Dharma].” He alleged that it is against equality and social justice,

After his remarks were slammed by the BJP, the Tamil Nadu minister denied that he called for genocide as alleged and stood by his statement that Sanatan Dharma “divides people in the name of caste and religion” and needed to be “uprooted”.

“Let me reiterate the crucial aspect of my speech: I believe, like the spread of diseases like COVID-19, dengue, and malaria by mosquitoes, that Sanatan Dharma is responsible for many social evils,” he said.

He told reporters on Sunday that he criticised Sanatan Dharma and called for its eradication. “I will say this continuously,” he said.

The Tamil Nadu minister accused the BJP of ‘twisting’ his statement and spreading fake news while adding that he is ready to face whatever cases are filed against him. “I am ready to face whatever cases they file against me. BJP is scared of the INDIA Alliance and to divert that they are saying all this. DMK’s policy is One clan, one God,” he said.

Also read: Udhayanidhi Stalin’s call for Hindu genocide does BJP a big favour in Tamil Nadu

What is the backlash Udhayanidhi is receiving?

After BJP spokesperson termed Udhayanidhi’s remarks as a “call for genocide”, Home Minister Amit Shah hit out at the INDIA coalition, accusing the Opposition of insulting India’s culture for vote bank and appeasement politics.

At a rally in Rajasthan’s Dungarpur, he said, “I am seeing for two days that you (INDIA coalition) want power, but at what cost? For two days you are insulting this country’s culture, history and Sanatan Dharma.”

“Two major parties of INDIA coalition, DMK and Congress, their senior leaders – one a son of a (former) finance minister and the other a chief minister’s son – are saying that Sanatan Dharma should be ended. Tell me, are you ready to end Sanatan Dharma,” Shah asked, according to a report in The Indian Express.

Shah was referring to Congress leader and P Chidambaram’s son Karti Chidambaram, who said that there was nothing wrong in what Udhayanidhi said as Sanatan in common Tamil parlance means caste hierarchical society.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman shared an old video of Tamil Nadu Congress chief KS Alagiri saying that the purpose of the alliance in the state is to destroy Sanatan Dharma. She said that when Udhayanidhi Stalin made the statement on Sanatan Dharma, Tamil Nadu minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments PK Sekar Babu was present and he did not protest.

Sworn by the Constitution of India, Minister @Udhaystalin calls for the eradication of Santana Dharma, “like mosquitoes”. On the dais, listening without protest is TN Minister for Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments @PKSekarbabu.
President @INCTamilNadu says purpose of… pic.twitter.com/ITi7yodx4H

— Nirmala Sitharaman (@nsitharaman) September 3, 2023

However, this is not the first time he has angered the BJP.

When Udhayanidhi has taken on the BJP

On Saturday, the DMK dynast criticised the AIADMK for supporting the Centre’s “one nation, one poll idea” and said, “The first A in the AIADMK stands not for ‘Anna’ but Amit Shah.”

At a DMK youth wing executive committee meeting in Pudukkottai, he likened the BJP to a “snake looking to slither into the state of Tamil Nadu stealthily through a bush called AIADMK”. “To wipe away the BJP, we must wipe out AIADMK,” Udhayanidhi said, adding that the only person who has benefited under the BJP rule is businessman Gautam Adani.

In July, after an Enforcement Directorate raid on two senior DMK ministers, Stalin junior said in Kalakurichi that not just him but even a DMK functionary wouldn’t be scared of the ED.

“Who do you think I am that I will get scared of your ED? I’m the grandson of Kalaignar (M Karunanidhi) and son of MK Stalin… I am not scared of either Modi or the ED. You (ED) are welcome anytime. Let me know when you come to raid, so that I can be at home. Not only me, even a DMK functionary wouldn’t be scared of you.”

Udhayanidhi took on Amit Shah, who took potshots at the dynastic politics in the DMK in Rameswaram. Questioning his son Jay Shah’s role in the BCCI, the Tamil Nadu minister said, “I want to ask Amit Shah, how did your son become BCCI secretary? How many cricket matches did he play? How many runs has he scored till now?”

With inputs from agencies