PM's instructions to ministers on Sanatana remark row, India-Bharat debate

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin's controversial ‘Sanatana Dharma’ remark should be answered properly. He also advised the ministers against commenting on the India vs Bharat dispute, adding that only the authorized person should speak on the matter.

"Do not go into history, but stick to the facts as per the Constitution. Also, speak about the contemporary situation of the issue," the Prime Minister said while speaking at a meeting of the Council of Ministers ahead of the G20 Summit in New Delhi.

Udhayanidhi Stalin, the son of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, triggered a political row after he compared the Sanatan Dharma with diseases like dengue and malaria. "Such things should not be opposed but destroyed," he said, while speaking at an event in Chennai on Saturday.

The comments sparked a backlash from several political parties, with the BJP insisting on the Congress to condemn his remarks. Udhayanidhi, however, later claimed that he had not called for violence against the followers of Sanatan Dharma.

(Source: India Today)