Even as the fury over DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin's rant against Sanatan Dharma is yet to die down, Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi on Wednesday said that the successful hosting of the G20 Summit by India, under the theme "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" (One Earth, One Family, One Future), has got the world to acknowledge and celebrate Sanatana Dharma like never before.
In a veiled jibe at the DMK minister, the Governor said Sanatana dharma is "indestructible".
Addressing a conference in Chennai earlier, Udhayanidhi Stalin equated Sanatana dharma with "mosquitoes, dengue, malaria, fever, and Corona" and called for it to be eradicated as opposed to being merely opposed.
"On the 9th and 10th of this month, the world celebrated the 'Sanatana Utsava' in New Delhi as we hosted the G20 Summit. This is because the G20 Summit under Bharat's presidency was done with full commitment to Sanatana values, Sanatana Dharma, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam... Today, the world has begun celebrating Sanatana Dharma," Mr Ravi said.
The Governor said, "Some people are distorting the ideas and beliefs around Satanana by making all sorts of negative remarks. They are doing so out of their selfish interests. They disregard the value of Sanatan. However, Sanatana is indestructible."
"We have to be awake and alert to our responsibilities. If anyone speaks about eradicating it (Sanatana) or causing it any harm, we must realise that they are peddling an agenda to break the country," Governor Ravi said.
Stressing that the "core strength" of Bharat lies in Sanatana, he claimed that "anti-national elements were attempting to strike at the very core of the country".
"That is what the Britishers did, or tried to do. They succeeded in breaking Bharat as Partition saw the country being splintered into two," the Tamil Nadu Governor said, adding, "Bharat cannot afford another partition".
Invoking Ambedkar, he said, "Our Constitution says, 'India that is Bharat'. Bharat is a product of Sanatana Dharma. Unfortunately, after the Britishers left, we didn't do much to make the citizens understand what Bharat is."
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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