Nation

Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Handed Over Agenda Of Abusing Sanatan Dharma To DMK: Nadda Slams I.N.D.I.A

September 15, 2023
Bharat Times

BJP President JP Nadda on Friday (September 15) made a striking allegation, claiming that top Congress leaders Sonia and Rahul Gandhi shared an “agenda of abusing and disrespecting” Sanatan Dharma with their key ally DMK and other partners within the opposition coalition I.N.D.I.A. This assertion by Nadda comes at a time when the debate over Sanatan Dharma is heating up, with fellow BJP leader and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma describing the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections as a “civilizational fight,” claiming that the people of the country will vote to “protect Sanatan Dharma”. Several union ministers have also criticised the new opposition alliance on this issue.

In response to these allegations, senior Congress leader Kamal Nath emphasised India’s rich religious tapestry and stated that Sanatan Dharma does not advocate the exclusion of other faiths. This statement came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the opposition I.N.D.I.A bloc of attempting to “destroy” Sanatan Dharma, as reported by news agency PTI. 

Criticising the anti-BJP coalition, Nadda claimed that Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi’s “agenda” revolved around “abusing and disrespecting” Sanatan Dharma. “My allegation is that the mother-son duo handed over the agenda of abusing and disrespecting Sanatan Dharma to the DMK and other parties (of I.N.D.I.A) at the Mumbai meeting,” he said. Actually, it is Sonia and Rahul’s agenda,” PTI quoted him as saying. 

Speaking at a rally in Jashpur, north Chhattisgarh, as part of the state’s opposition party BJP’s second ‘Parivartan Yatra’ ahead of the assembly elections, Nadda also urged Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel to clarify his position on anti-Sanatan Dharma remarks made by Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, whose party DMK is a member of the I.N.D.I.A bloc.

“The ‘Indi alliance,’ an arrogant alliance, held a meeting in Mumbai on September 1. On September 3, Tamil Nadu CM Stalin’s son Udhayanidhi Stalin, whose party DMK is a key partner of the alliance, disrespected Sanatan Dharma by linking it with serious diseases. He left no stone unturned in disrespecting Sanatan Dharma in every way,” Nadda was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. 

Nadda noted that Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s son, a minister in the Karnataka government, had also targeted Sanatan Dharma, followed by another Tamil Nadu minister. He questioned Sonia Gandhi’s silence on the issue and noted Rahul’s reluctance to address it.

Nadda questioned whether the Constitution provides anyone the right to disrespect a religion, adding, “Is it written in the Constitution that any religion, any idea, any belief should be abused or has the Constitution given the right to disrespect any religion? You (Rahul) say that you run ‘mohabbat ki dukan’ (shop of love), but hatred is being sold in your shop.”

BJP Hits Out At I.N.D.I.A Bloc On Sanatan Dharma Row: 

Assam CM Sarma, speaking at the Patna airport, alleged that the INDIA bloc was “formed with the sole intent to destroy our civilization and culture.” He asserted that the escalating “Sanatan Dharma” dispute exemplified the alliance’s objective to undermine India’s heritage, ANI reported. 

Union Minister and BJP leader Jyotiraditya Scindia emphasised that Sanatan Dharma is India’s foundation and warned that those advocating its abolition would face consequences at the hands of the “140 crore people of the country.” He questioned the “silence” of I.N.D.I.A parties in response to the DMK’s critical statements about Sanatan Dharma, claiming that the opposition bloc is beset by internal contradictions.

Scindia stated, “There is a party in the north that thinks making Kashmir an integral part of India was wrong. This alliance includes a party from south India that has called for the destruction of Sanatan Dharma.”