Karnataka Court Issues Summons To Tamil Nadu Minister Stalin Over Controversial 'Sanatana' Remark

Summoned by a Karnataka court, Tamil Nadu Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, who made Sanatana Dharma comments last year, is required to appear before the Karnataka representative court on March 4.

The State Sports Minister, also the son of Chief Minister MK Stalin, has been summoned over comments that linked Sanatana Dharma to dengue and malaria, sparking a significant controversy.

Photo Credit: PTI

Karnataka Court Issues Summons To Stalin

Before the assembly elections in five states, the issue gained prominence, with the INDIA Alliance, of which the DMK is a part, being opposed by the BJP. A private complaint against Junior Stalin was filed by a person named Paramesh. Stalin, 46, had defended his remark, stating that he would legally face the issue.

"There was nothing wrong in what I had spoken. We will face the matter legally. I will not change my stand. I have only talked about my ideology," he told reporters last year. In Tamil Nadu, Sanatan Dharma is viewed differently as a doctrine that perpetuates caste discrimination against oppressed communities for ages, denying education and dignity.

This perspective, vehemently opposed by rationalist icon Periyar, has helped the DMK gain political capital, championing the cause of backward classes using its social justice as a powerful plank.

Udhayanidhi Stalin later explained the context in which he had spoken and even cited the fact that, in his view, for the same reason, President Murmu, who belongs to a tribal community, wasn't even invited to the new parliament's inauguration by Prime Minister Modi.