'INDI alliance' wants to finish Sanatan Dharma: Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi turned up the heat on the opposition's Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) over the Sanatan row in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh's Sagar on Thursday. Referring to the INDIA bloc as the "INDI alliance," he said the opposition has resolved to destroy Sanatan Dharma and the country's culture and values, which have kept the country unified for thousands of years.
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The remark came after Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin—a member of the INDIA—said Sanatan Dharma should be eradicated. Some INDIA leaders defended the statement, while others distanced themselves from it. According to reports, the BJP was planning to corner the opposition bloc over the controversy after laying low during the G20 Summit. PM Modi had earlier said that Udhayanidhi's comment deserved a "proper response."
'Ghamandiya' alliance wants to divide nation: PM Modi
'Opposition's agenda is to attack India's culture'
Calling the opposition bloc "ghamandiya" or haughty, PM Modi said the bloc is resolute in its mission to destroy the Sanatan culture and traditions that inspired luminaries like Ahilyabai Holkar, a champion of women's education and empowerment. He added that the opposition in its Mumbai meeting earlier this month decided on its agenda, which is to attack India's culture.
INDIA divided over Sanatan row
Amid the row, Udhayanidhi defended his statement, saying it wasn't against the Hindu community but targeted social evils such as the caste system. The DMK and Congress's Priyank Kharge backed Udhayanidhi's statement, but Trinamool Congress's Mamata Banerjee and Congress's Deepender Hooda and Nana Patole opposed it. BJP's IT Cell head, Amit Malviya, accused Udhayanidhi of calling for the genocide of 80% of India's population.
BJP came to power in MP by toppling Congress
To note, the opposition parties have come together to defeat the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Prior to that, assembly elections are likely in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Rajasthan, and Telangana. The BJP is reportedly struggling with factionalism in Madhya Pradesh, where it came to power after toppling the elected Congress government amid the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.
