New Delhi: Before the dust could settle over political sparring on the Sanatana Dharma, Congress leader Udit Raj added a fresh twist to the raging row with his controversial remarks.
Congress leader said that Sanatana was nothing but a ploy by the right-wing parties to mobilize and garner votes in name of religion. He accused the saffron party of ‘fooling the people’ with such narratives and utilizing Sanatana to develop a majority vote bank for their own ‘ulterior’ motives.
“Sanatana is nothing. If there is Sanatana, there is caste. They have been fooling us and trying to get our votes on the name of Sanatana. Now, they won’t be able any longer,” Raj told newmen.
He further said, “If everyone is ‘Sanatani’, why do only some castes get reservations and preferences in jobs? Why is there inequality among people? Sanatana and caste are one thing.”
Udit Raj’s remarks comes just a day after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s statement that Sanatana Dharma is the only religion in the world.
#WATCH | Delhi: Congress leader Udit Raj says, “Sanatana is nothing. ‘Sanatana hai toh jaati hai, jaati hi shaaswat hai, Sanatana kuch nahi hai.’ They have been fooling us and trying to get our votes on the name of Sanatana…” pic.twitter.com/7FP8oDPcGl
— ANI (@ANI) October 3, 2023
Udit’s statement, reflecting the disparaging description of Santana Dharma by opposition leaders including DMK, is set to create a political furore and raise the hackles of right-wing outfits. Many have started calling out the Congress leader for his dislike & hatred of the Sanatana Dharma.
What Yogi Adityanath said
UP CM Yogi Adityanath on Monday, speaking at ‘Shrimad Bhagwat Katha Gyan Yagya’ at the Gorakhnath temple, had said, “Sanatan Dharma is the religion of humanity, and any attack on it will put entire humanity in danger.”
He also said that Sanatana Dharma was the only religion while the rest of all are all “sects or methods of worship”.
Days ago, a couple of DMK leaders including Tamil Nadu ministers publicly insulted the Sanatana Dharma as they compared it with diseases & societal ills.
Udaynidihi Stalin, a minister in Tamil Nadu govt & CM Stalin’s son equated the Sanatan Dharma with diseases like malaria and dengue and called for its eradication. His party, instead of reprimanding him, went on labeling the Sanatan followers with more offensive & hateful epithets.