While protesting against Vishwakarma Yojana in Chennai, Raja said that Udhyanaidhi’s perspective on ‘Sanatana Dharma’ was relatively mild.

Amid the ongoing political slugfest over Tamil Nadu minister Udhyanaidhi Stalin’s remarks over ‘Sanatana Dharma’, his party DMK’s MP Andimuthu Raja further kicked up the row by comparing it to social stigma and diseases like HIV and leprosy.

While protesting against the central government’s Vishwakarma Yojana in Chennai, Raja said that Udhyanaidhi’s perspective on ‘Sanatana Dharma’ was relatively mild. “Sanatana and Vishwakarma schemes are not different. Udhayanidhi gently said that Santana Dharma should be eliminated like malaria and dengue,” ANI quoted him as saying.

“But these diseases don’t have a social stigma. To be honest, leprosy was seen as disgusting and so was HIV. So, we need to see this as diseases ridden with social plights like HIV and leprosy,” the DMK MP further said.

The controversial comments sparked a huge controversy with BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya saying that this is unadulterated hate speech, targeting 80% of Bharat’s population, who follow Sanatana Dharma.

“After Udhayanidhi Stalin, it is now DMK’s A Raja, who denigrates Sanatan Dharma… This is nothing but unadulterated hate speech, targeting 80% of Bharat’s population, who follow Sanatana Dharma,” he said.