PATNA: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav criticized Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DKM) leader Udhayanidhi Stalin for his remarks on Sanatana Dharma, accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of creating an issue out of a non-issue due to nervousness.
“The BJP is fraudulent and completely rattled, which is why they are creating unnecessary controversies. Regardless of whether one is Hindu or Muslim, we all have one master, which is God,” stated the former chief minister to reporters while at a temple in Patna where he came to pray for Janmashtami.
On September 2, Udhayanidhi made a statement that sparked controversy when he expressed his opinion that sanatana dharma goes against social justice and equality and therefore should be eliminated. As a result, multiple police cases have been filed in connection with the incident. One case was filed against Udhayanidhi and Karnataka minister and Congress leader Priyank Kharge, who supported his statement, in Uttar Pradesh’s Rampur. Additionally, cases were registered against BJP IT department in-charge Amit Malviya for distorting the DMK leader’s statement and against an Ayodhya-based seer for offering a reward for harming Udhayanidhi.
Yadav also said that the speculation over changing the country’s name to Bharat was also linked to the opposition alliance. “We have formed the INDIA alliance. We will win. This is why, BJP is nervous and they are saying something just to create an issue,” he said.
The leader of RJD commented on the Sanatana controversy, following a question from Giriraj Singh, a union minister, about why Lalu Yadav, Rahul Gandhi, and Nitish Kumar hadn’t spoken on the issue. Giriraj Singh highlighted that it had been five days since Udhayanidhi Stalin’s statement, and questioned why the three politicians remained silent. He also expressed concern that they may be unwilling to speak without first destroying Sanatan Dharma.
He said, “If Rahul, Nitish and Lalu do not apologise, then the country’s Sanatana and Bihar’s Sanatana will not forgive them.”
The Congress and the Shiv Sena (UBT), two constituents of INDIA grouping, adopted a cautious tone on the controversial comment on Thursday.
