Asserting that there was nothing wrong in his remarks against Sanatana Dharma, Tamil Nadu Minister for Sports and Youth Welfare Udhayanidhi Stalin on Monday said he would speak against it again and again, if he was intimidated to not speak about it.
The DMK youth wing leader insisted he had not said “anything against Hinduism and Hindus”.
Mr. Udhayanidhi, who was in Thoothukudi to chair a review meeting at the Collectorate, told presspersons there was no need for him to resign from his post as there was nothing wrong in what he had said about Sanatana Dharma.
“Since Sanatana Dharma promoted the evil practice of sati and treated women like slaves, the Dravidian movement opposed it and liberated women from these nauseating practices and superstitious beliefs,” he contended.
“I want to make it clear that I did not speak anything against Hinduism and the Hindus. I condemn the evil practices and inequality encouraged by Sanatana Dharma. If these evil forces threaten me that I should not speak against it, I will speak against Sanatana Dharma again and again,” he said.
The Dravidian Model of governance in Tamil Nadu has taken women to the next level through a range of schemes including Puthumai Penn scheme that ensures disbursal of ₹1,000 as monthly assistance while the beneficiaries do their graduation, he said.
After the review meeting, he distributed welfare assistance to the tune of ₹6.37 crore to 115 beneficiaries.
Ministers Anita R. Radhakrishnan and P. Geetha Jeevan, Collector K. Senthil Raj, Superintendent of Police L. Balaji Saravanan, Corporation Commissioner C. Dinesh Kumar, Mayor Jegan Periyasami and MLAs G.V. Markandeyan and M. C. Shanmugaiah were also present.
