Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader Udhayanidhi Stalin on Tuesday reiterated his remarks calling for the eradication of Sanatana Dharma, a term some people use as a synonym for Hinduism.
During his maiden speech in the Tamil Nadu Assembly as the new leader of the Opposition, Stalin said: “May Tamil win. Long live Tamil Nadu. Sanatanam, which divides people, should be eradicated.”
Responding to his comments, the Bharatiya Janata Party on social media said that the DMK leader had “once again spread venom” against Sanatana Dharma.
“He has again called for Sanatan to be eradicated,” the Hindutva party said. “Remember, he is the same person who compared Sanatan Dharma to diseases such as malaria and dengue. Well, the people of Tamil Nadu have already rejected him and his ideology…So you know the mood of the state.”
Udhayanidhi Stalin has once again spread venom against Sanatan Dharma. He has again called for Sanatan to be eradicated.
Remember, he is the same person who compared Sanatan Dharma to diseases such as malaria and dengue.
𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐥, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥 𝐍𝐚𝐝𝐮… pic.twitter.com/P6vxGf4wqj
— BJP (@BJP4India) May 12, 2026 The BJP was referring to Stalin’s remarks at a press conference in Chennai on September 2, 2023, when he had said that Sanatana Dharma was akin to dengue and malaria and should hence be annihilated.
At the time, his comments had triggered a nationwide controversy, with first information reports filed against him in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
In March 2025, the Supreme Court had ordered that no new FIRs be registered against Udhayanidhi Stalin for his remarks.
The court had previously criticised Udhayanidhi Stalin, saying that he had abused his right to freedom of speech and expression.
Udhayanidhi Stalin’s speech on Tuesday comes days after actor-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam emerged as the single-largest party on its electoral debut, winning 108 seats in the 234-member Assembly and defeating the incumbent DMK government.
However, it fell short of the majority mark of 118 and required the support of smaller parties to form the government. Vijay took oath as chief minister on Sunday. Governor Rajendra Arlekar has directed Vijay to seek a vote of confidence in the Assembly by Wednesday.
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