Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin was the only Chief Minister from south India to attend the G20 dinner in New Delhi hosted by the President of India. Stalin shared pictures of his meeting with US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his social media accounts. The meeting comes amid the ongoing row over Tamil Nadu Minister and CM Stalin’s son Udhayanidhi Stalin’s remarks against Sanatana Dharma between DMK and the BJP-led Union government. The DMK has said that it was an official meeting for administrative reasons.
Read: Tamil Nadu has a history of radical politics that questioned Sanatana Dharma
Shenthilnathan, a DMK leader from Chennai while speaking to IANS said, “The Chief Minister has attended the meeting as it is one with a lot of international participation. Tamil Nadu is a progressive state and we have to showcase our state properly… The Chief Minister has been the topmost critic of the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a political level but at an administrative level he has to participate in an international meet that has a galaxy of participants, including the President of the US, Joe Biden.”
Udayanidhi Stalin recently made certain remarks criticising Hinduism and Sanatana Dharma, which led to a huge row on social media. Udhayanidhi compared Sanatana Dharma with diseases such as dengue and malaria, saying it was against the idea of social justice. He said that Sanatana Dharma cannot merely be opposed but must be eradicated. The remarks triggered a major backlash from BJP leaders who interpreted his call for ‘eradication or abolition of Sanatana Dharma’ as a call for ‘genocide’ of followers of Sanatana Dharma. Udhayanidhi has since refuted this interpretation and said he was ready to face any legal challenge.
Read: ‘Ready to lose power for ideology’: Udhayanidhi reiterates stand on Sanatana Dharma