Sanatan Dharma Remark Doesn’t Go Well: Jr. Stalin And Jr. Kharge Booked For ‘Hurting Religious Sentiments’

Recent remark from prominent DMK leader – MK Stalin’s son, Udhayanidhi Stalin sparked controversy amongst people in India. The remark targeted Hindu religion – ‘Sanatan Dharma’ and hence a case was filed regarding the same remark. The complaint accused the DMK leader of hurting religious sentiments of the people. It was not only Udhayanidhi Stalin, against whom the FIR was filed, along with him the case mentions a congress leader – Priyank Kharge. Now, both of them are arrested in the case.

Hurting religious sentiments

Following complaints from lawyers in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, both the DMK and Congress officials were charged under Sections 153A (promoting animosity between different religious groups) and 295A (deliberate and malicious acts to incite religious emotions) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Lawyers Harsh Gupta and Ram Singh Lodhi filed the FIR after complaining that the politician’s remarks had hurt their sentiments. They cited media reports on Stalin’s statement.

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The controversial Sanatan Dharma remark

At a gathering in Tamil Nadu last week, Stalin Jr. purportedly called for the destruction of the Sanatan Dharma, the endonym usually used to refer to Hinduism. He also linked it to diseases like dengue and malaria.

Political parties disagreed over his remarks, with the BJP pressing the Congress to denounce them. Kharge Jr., who supports the DMK leader, asserted that “any religion that does not promote equality and does not ensure that you have the dignity of being a human is not, in my opinion, a religion.”

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“I don’t care…” says Kharge Jr. on FIR filed against him

In response to reports of a FIR, Kharge reaffirmed his earlier claim. “I don’t care, they can do what they want, my statement is very clear. It is not against any particular religion. I had stated that any religion that does not preach equality is not a religion according to me. Constitution is my religion. If UP has a problem, I do not see it to be mine. We will do whatever needs to be done,” he told news agency.