The inaugural meeting of the coordination committee of the opposition-led INDIA alliance covered topics such as seat distribution for the next Lok Sabha election, public events, and television news programs to which coalition members will not send representatives. The majority of the committee members were present at the meeting, with the exception of TMC’s Abhishek Banerjee who was absent because he was called by the Enforcement Directorate as part of an investigation into an alleged recruiting scam for teaching posts.
The Bharatiya Janata Party, however, criticised the gathering on Wednesday, labeling it a meeting of the “anti-Hindu coordination committee.” It also outlined the allegations of corruption against the leaders of the INDIA group, which consists of more than two dozen opposition parties. The remarks made concerning the Sanatana Dharma, a term often used to refer to Hinduism, were the focal point of the saffron party’s attack on the Opposition group.
Anurag Thakur, a Union minister, made fun of senior Congresswoman Sonia Gandhi for failing to address “insults” to Sanatana Dharma, while Sambit Patra, a BJP spokesperson, claimed that the INDIA bloc’s goal is to “finish off Hinduism.”
“They are all accused of engaging in fraud and wrongdoing. Both people have been arrested and are out on bail. All of them are well known. It will not assist in changing the name. The Congress party has attacked Baba Saheb Ambedkar more than anyone else, according to the Union minister.
Udhayanidhi Stalin, a minister and DMK leader in Tamil Nadu, previously compared Sanatana Dharma to “dengue, malaria, fever, and corona” and said it needed to be eliminated rather than only resisted.
Patra questioned whether worshipping Lord Shiva or Hanuman could be compared to AIDS, dengue fever, or cancer after noting that DMK politicians had compared Sanatan Dharma to numerous illnesses.
The BJP spokesperson denied claims that many non-DMK opposition parties had split from the Dravidian party and insisted that they were still cooperating.
Responding to BJP’s attack, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said no one in this country is anti-Hindu.
“No one in this country is anti-Hindu…Every religion in this country is respected,” he told reporters.
