The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launched a sharp attack on Udhayanidhi Stalin, the Leader of Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, on Tuesday, 12 May, after he called for the "eradication" of Sanatan Dharma during an Assembly address in the presence of newly elected Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay. The BJP accused Stalin of repeating a pattern of "Sanatan hate" despite what it described as a humiliating electoral drubbing.

What Udhayanidhi Stalin Said

"Sanathanam that divides people should be eradicated," Udhayanidhi Stalin said during his address in the Tamil Nadu Assembly. A video clip of the remarks quickly spread on social media, drawing strong backlash from both state and central BJP leaders. This is not the first time Stalin has made such remarks — he had previously equated Sanatan Dharma with diseases like dengue and malaria, calling for its complete eradication, triggering a major political storm at the time.

BJP's Counterattack

BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said that Stalin had resorted to "what he does best — peddling insult and hatred against Sanatan." Poonawalla warned that the people of Tamil Nadu and the country would "punish him further" for continuing to hurl insults at Sanatan Dharma. He alleged that senior INDIA bloc leaders, including Gaurav Gogoi, Mamata Banerjee, and MK Stalin, suffered "ignominious defeat" in recent elections because of their ideology of "Sanatan hate" but had refused to change course.

"Hurling abuses at Sanatan is their pattern, insulting Sanatan is their votebank strategy, and this is their only identity," Poonawalla said.

State BJP's Response

CR Kesavan, a BJP spokesperson from the Tamil Nadu state unit, drew a parallel between Udhayanidhi Stalin and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, calling Stalin the "Gandhi of Tamil Nadu." He alleged that just as Gandhi had mocked the sacred Sengol and boycotted the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of the Ram Mandir, Stalin continued with what Kesavan termed a "toxic rant" despite electoral rejection.

"What better can you expect from the divisive DMK, which opposed the lighting of the Karthigai Deepam and whose CM never wished the people of Tamil Nadu on Deepavali," Kesavan said.

Broader Political Context

The BJP's reaction underscores an ongoing national fault line over Sanatan Dharma that has repeatedly flared between the ruling party and opposition leaders aligned with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). The BJP has consistently sought to frame such remarks as evidence of the opposition's alleged cultural hostility, while the DMK and its allies have framed their position as a critique of caste-based social structures. With Tamil Nadu heading into a politically sensitive period following the election of CM C. Joseph Vijay, the renewed controversy signals that the Sanatan debate is far from settled as a political flashpoint.