Udhayanidhi Stalin Summoned By Bengaluru Court Over 'Sanatan Dharma' Remarks

Tamil Nadu Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin was on Friday summoned by a Bengaluru court in connection with a case filed against the controversial remarks he made on ‘Sanatana Dharma.’ The minister has to appear before the court on March 4.

The summon was issued by a Special Court of People’s Representatives in Bengaluru over a complaint lodged by a Bengaluru local Paramesh. The court has issued a summons for him to appear in person for the hearing, which is scheduled in March.

Udhayanidhi Stalin, son of Chief Minister MK Stalin, in September last year, made a contentious statement in which he compared ‘Sanatan Dharma’ with malaria and dengue.

Stalin was speaking at the ‘Sanatana Abolition Conference’. Addressing the audience, he said, “There are some things which we have to eradicate and we can’t merely oppose. Mosquitoes, dengue fever, malaria, corona, all these are things which we cannot oppose, we have to eradicate them. Sanatanam is also like this.”

“I thank the organisers for allowing me to speak at this conference to eradicate Sanatana Dharma. I congratulate the organisers for calling the conference as ‘eradicate Sanatana Dharma’ instead of ‘opposing Sanatana Dharma,” the minister was seen saying in a video clip that went viral at the time.

The minister’s remarks soon snowballed into a massive political furore with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Hindu leaders across the country calling Stalin out for his irresponsible statement.

Stalin, however, refused to apologise for his remarks and said he was ready face any legal challenge against him.

“Bring it onto . I am ready to face any legal challenge. We will not be cowed down by such usual saffron threats. We, the followers of Periyar, Anna, and Kalaignar, would fight forever to uphold social justice and establish an egalitarian society under the able guidance of our honourable CM,” Udhayanidhi wrote on X (formerly Twitter) at the time.