Chennai: Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin on Thursday issued a sharp rebuttal defending the remarks of his cabinet colleague and son, Udhayanidhi Stalin, on ‘Sanatan Dharma’, saying they were aimed at the principles that discriminate against Scheduled Castes, tribals, and women. In a detailed statement, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader said many Indian leaders like Thanthai Periyar, Mahatma Jyotirao Phule, and Babasaheb Ambedkar have spoken out against regressive Sanatan ideologies which “justify discrimination based on one’s birth”.
“Even as we launch Chandrayaan to the Moon, some people continue to propagate caste discrimination, emphasizing social stratification based on Varnashrama principles and citing sastras and other ancient texts to support their sectarian claims,” Stalin said.
“Udhayanidhi spoke out only against such oppressive ideologies and called to eradicate the practices based on those ideologies,” he added.
