Tamil Nadu: Udhayanidhi Stalin brushes off Rs 10-crore bounty on his head with humor amid Sanatana Dharma row
The controversy surrounding Udhayanidhi Stalin began with his comments at an event, where he likened "Sanatana Dharma" to diseases like malaria and dengue, suggesting it should be eradicated.
FollowTamil Nadu Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin responded to an alleged threat on his life with defiance, citing his lineage of individuals who have put Tamil Nadu's interests above their own safety. A seer in Uttar Pradesh had reportedly declared a 10-crore bounty on Udhayanidhi Stalin's head due to the controversy surrounding his comments on "Sanatana Dharma."
Paramhans Acharya, the chief priest of the Tapaswi Chawni temple of Ayodhya, allegedly stated, "I will pay Rs 10 crore cash reward to anyone who beheads Stalin and brings his head to me. If no one dares to kill Stalin, I will myself find him and kill him."
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Udhayanidhi Stalin addressed this threat at an event in Chennai, humorously downplaying it, saying, "A 10-rupee comb is enough to comb my head," using a play on words in Tamil, where the word for "comb" also means "slice" or "chop."
He further emphasized his fearlessness, stating, "This is not new to us. We are not the ones who are afraid of all these threats. I am the grandson of the artist who put his head on the rail track for Tamil," referring to his grandfather, M Karunanidhi, a prominent figure in Tamil Nadu's politics and leader of the rationalist Dravidian movement.
Karunanidhi's rise in Tamil Nadu politics was marked by a protest in 1953 when he led DMK workers to lie down on train tracks to protest the renaming of a village. This act symbolized his commitment to the state's interests.
The controversy surrounding Udhayanidhi Stalin began with his comments at an event, where he likened "Sanatana Dharma" to diseases like malaria and dengue, suggesting it should be eradicated. The remark triggered a strong response from the BJP and others, with some equating it to a call for genocide.
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Udhayanidhi Stalin reiterated his stance, stating that "Sanatana Dharma" represents the eternal and unchanging, while the Dravidian model stands for change in every aspect. He argued that the Dravidian movement has brought about positive transformations in society, challenging regressive beliefs.
In the midst of this controversy, the new Opposition Bloc INDIA faces a dilemma, as political parties weigh their responses ahead of upcoming state and general elections.
