Anurag Kumar
At the Janmashtami celebrations on Wednesday, Union minister Smriti Irani stated that Lord Krishna chants should be so boisterous that they reach those who question Sanatan Dharma. “Those who challenge Sanatan Dharma should hear the chanting of the devotees.” “As long as the bhakts are alive, no one can challenge the religion or the belief,” Smriti Irani said at the ISKCON temple in Dwarka, where she was celebrating Janmashtami.
VIDEO | "Those who challenge 'Sanatan Dharma', the voice should reach them that till the 'bhakts' are alive, no one can challenge their religion," says Union minister @smritiirani during Janmashtami celebrations at ISKCON temple in Dwarka, Delhi. pic.twitter.com/7q0a4u8htw
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 6, 2023
In a meeting with the ministers, PM Modi reportedly asked them to respond to the Sanatan Dharma debate based on studies and facts. Last week, a massive political controversy erupted when Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, the son of chief minister MK Salin, compared Sanatan Dharma to dengue and malaria and said it should be eradicated.
As the debate shifted to pit the BJP against INDIA, the opposition coalition, the opposition parties devised their own strategies to either disagree with or agree with what Udhayanidhi had to say. In the meantime, complaints were lodged against Udhay for his comment, which he maintained his right to defend and refused to retract.
In point of fact, Udhayanidhi stated once more that he would say the same thing about Sanatan Dharma, despite the fact that his attitude toward Hinduism does not involve hostility. Udhayanidhi stated that he was speaking out against Sanatan society, sometimes known as caste-based society, and not the Hindu religion itself in his clarification. He used the example of President Droupadi Murmu and explained that she was not invited to the inauguration of the new Parliament building due to the fact that her caste prevented her from being invited.
The debate has been going strong over the past few days, and according to reports, Prime Minister Modi has given the BJP the command that they are to utilize this debate as a weapon against their opponents.
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In response to Udhayanidhi’s comments on Droupadi Murmu, the head of the BJP in Tamil Nadu asked Udhay why the DMK did not vote for her during the presidential election. K Annamalai added that Droupadi Murmu was only able to become president because of Sanatan, and he blamed Sanatan for Droupadi Murmu’s election.
