Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai on Tuesday lashed out at DMK parliamentarian A Raja for his purported remark that the "Hindu religion is a menace" and accused the ruling DMK of being the principal reason for creating caste divide and hatred among the people in the state.
The DMK MP, Mr Annamalai said, had the "audacity" to blame 'Sanatana Dharma' for the mess the DMK had made.
Posting a video on social media platform X of the former union minister in a discussion with some others and making the controversial remark, Mr Annamalai said, "DMK MP A Raja calls Hindu Religion a menace to India and the world. DMK is the principal reason for creating caste divide and hatred in Tamil Nadu, and the DMK MP has the audacity to blame 'Sanatana Dharma' for the mess they made."
In the discussion, Mr Raja is heard remarking that India (where the caste system exists) is the reason for the global disease of caste dividing the people on caste and economic lines.
"Caste cannot be used only for social evils but it depends on economic reasons also. Those who are living -- Indians -- in other countries are also propagating caste in the name of Hindu religion. So, Hindu religion is the biggest menace not only to India but also to the entire world," Mr Raja is heard saying.
Last week, following up on the nationwide 'Sanatana Dharma' storm fuelled by state Youth Welfare and Sports Development Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, Mr Raja said Udhayanidhi's comparison of 'Sanatana Dharma' to diseases like malaria and dengue was "soft." "It should be alluded to HIV and social stigma," the former union minister had said at a public event.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
