NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday took strong exception to the controversial remarks of DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin against Sanatana Dharma recently.
“Such remarks on Sanatana Dharma are extremely shocking and highly condemnable. They need a proper and justified response from all of us,” he said at a meeting of his council of ministers, in what was his first reaction to the raging controversy.
Modi said their response, especially by those hailing from the South, should be dignified, logical and replete with facts and figures. He advised them to avoid name-calling and getting into a slanging match. Modi also advised his colleagues to avoid going deep into history and instead speak on the contemporary situation.
Following Modi's directive, the BJP can be expected to sharpen their attack on Udhayanidhi. A few days ago, Udhayanidhi had called for the eradication of Sanatana Dharma while likening it to viral diseases like dengue and COVID-19.
Meanwhile, an FIR was registered in UP against Udhayanidhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's son Priyank for allegedly outraging religious feelings. Udhayanidhi was booked for his call to eradicate Sanatana Dharma and Priyank for supporting his remark. Parallelly, the Madurai police booked an Ayodhya seer who announced a Rs 10 crore reward for beheading Udhayanidhi.
As for the forthcoming G20 Summit, the PM shared his list of dos and don’ts with his ministers. For example, he asked them to leave their official vehicles and use a shuttle service to reach the Bharat Mandapam and other venues for various meetings. He also suggested that they download the G20 India mobile app and make the best use of it.
Besides, he advised them to treat the foreign dignitaries with utmost courtesy, recalling that Atithi devo bhava (Guest is god) is the essence of Bharat’s culture. The meeting was held hours before the prime minister left for Jakarta.