With G20 Summit now over, the BJP has launched a fresh attack on the Opposition over the “Sanatana Dharma” controversy with Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself leading the saffron party’s charge. Speaking at a rally in Madhya Pradesh’s Bina, PM Modi on Thursday accused the Opposition’s INDIA alliance of trying to finish “Sanatana Dharma”.

“The ‘ghamandiya’ alliance has resolved to finish the Sanatana culture and traditions that inspired Devi Ahilyabai Holkar. It was the strength of Sanatana that the Rani of Jhansi, Lakshmibai, could challenge the British and say that she would not give up her Jhansi,” PM Modi said.

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This was the first public reaction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the controversy over DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin’s remarks equating “Sanatana Dharma” with malaria, dengue, corona and calling for its complete eradication.

What did Udhayanidhi Stalin say?

Earlier this month, speaking at a conference organised by the Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers Artists Association in Chennai, Udhayanidhi said, “Few things cannot be opposed, they should be eradicated. We can’t oppose dengue, mosquitoes, malaria or corona, we have to eradicate them. In the same way, we have to eradicate Sanatana (Sanatan Dharma), rather than opposing it.”

The BJP was quick to react and accused the DMK leader of calling for the genocide of 80 per cent of India’s population that follows Sanatana Dharma. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also reacted to the remark and reportedly told his council of ministers to give “proper response” to Udhaynidhi’s remark.

However, in view of the G20 Summit, the BJP shifted its focus from national politics to international relations and started highlighting the achievements of the event. Now that the G20 Summit is over, the “Sanatana Dharma” issue has once again resurfaced in most of BJP’s election campaigns.

‘The proper response’

Ever since the G20 summit ended, there has not been a single rally addressed by BJP heavyweights in poll bounds states where the issue of Sanatana Dharma is not raised. From Rajnath Singh to Amit Shah and JP Nadda to PM Modi, all of them have cornered the Opposition over the Sanatana Dharma row.

Taking to Twitter (now renamed X), BJP national president JP Nadda today said that the INDIA alliance is doing only two things – bashing Sanatana culture and bullying the media.

“These days, the I. N. D. I Alliance is ONLY doing 2 things: BASHING SANATANA SANSKRITI – each party is competing to outdo the other in hurling the choicest abuses towards Sanatana Sanskriti.  BULLYING THE MEDIA- filing FIRs, threatening individual journalists, making “lists” in true Nazi style of who to target,” Nadda said.