Udhayanidhi Stalin, the Leader of Opposition and DMK MLA in Tamil Nadu, said Sanatan Dharma must be abolished during a recent assembly session [1].
The remarks reignite a volatile ideological conflict between the DMK and the BJP over religious identity and social hierarchy in India. Because the comments target a foundational belief system for millions of Hindus, they carry significant potential for social unrest and political realignment in the state.
Speaking in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly in Chennai, Stalin said that Sanatan Dharma should be eradicated because it divides people in society [3]. He said that "Sanatana Dharma must certainly be abolished" [1].
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) responded with an attack, arguing that the comments offend religious sentiments. A BJP spokesperson said that people have thrown the DMK out of power because of such stances [2].
This is not the first time Stalin has sparked controversy with this rhetoric. He previously made similar remarks in 2023 [4]. Those earlier statements led to legal challenges, though the Supreme Court refused pleas seeking to bring criminal charges against him [4].
Stalin said that the ideology in question creates societal divisions that must be removed to ensure equality [1]. Conversely, the BJP said that these calls for eradication are an attack on the faith of the people and a political miscalculation by the DMK [2].
“"Sanatana Dharma must certainly be abolished"”
This clash highlights the deep ideological divide in Tamil Nadu politics, where the DMK's Dravidian ideology often conflicts with the BJP's Hindutva platform. By reiterating these claims in the legislative assembly, Stalin is signaling a commitment to a social reform agenda that the BJP frames as religious persecution. The lack of criminal charges from the Supreme Court provides the DMK leader a legal shield, but the political risk remains as the BJP attempts to mobilize voters around the protection of Sanatan Dharma.
