Tamil Nadu: Positioning for Hindu support, BJP demands action against Udhayanidhi Stalin

The BJP on Wednesday demanded the removal of Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin from his post and sought legal action against him over his remarks on Sanatana Dharma. BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said that instead of taking action against Udhayanidhi, the ruling DMK government and the state machinery targeted BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya for highlighting the issue.

His remarks came after the Madras High Court quashed an FIR against Malviya, who had described Udhayanidhi’s comments as a call for genocide.

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The case stemmed from a speech delivered by Udhayanidhi in September 2023 at a conference titled “Sanatana Abolition Conference.” In the speech, delivered in Tamil, the DMK leader compared Sanatana Dharma to diseases such as dengue, malaria, and COVID-19, stating that certain things cannot merely be opposed but must be eradicated. “Sanatana Dharma should not be resisted or opposed; it has to be abolished or eradicated,” he was quoted as saying.

Malviya had shared a video clip of the speech on social media and questioned whether the statement amounted to a call for the “genocide of 80 per cent of the population of Bharat” who follow Sanatana Dharma. While quashing the FIR against Malviya, the Madurai Bench of the Court observed that Udhayanidhi’s call to “eradicate” Sanatana Dharma carried implications akin to genocide.

According to observers, the BJP is leveraging Udhayanidhi’s remarks to mark the DMK as anti-Hindu in poll-bound Tamil Nadu—one of the key strategies to overcome long-standing political and cultural resistance in the state despite Hindus being a substantial majority. The issue allows the saffron party to portray the ruling DMK as anti-Hindu and mobilise Hindu voters—who form a significant portion of the state’s population. This strategy, they note, could help the BJP gain traction in a state where it has historically struggled electorally.

According to the 2011 Census, Hindus constitute approximately 87.58 per cent of Tamil Nadu’s population.

However, this numerical strength has not translated into electoral success for the BJP. Tamil Nadu’s Hindu voters have traditionally supported the DMK and the AIADMK, shaped by decades of Dravidian politics that prioritise regional identity, social justice, welfare schemes, and state autonomy over a pan-Indian Hindutva narrative.

Therefore, despite Hindus forming a large majority, the BJP is not a favourite in Tamil Nadu because of its distinct political culture shaped by decades of Dravidian ideology, rooted in leaders such as Periyar and C N Annadurai. Dravidian parties have emphasised Tamil language, culture, and social equality—an approach that resonates strongly with voters, including Tamil Hindus and the BJP is largely perceived as a North India–centric party.

In those terms, the coming elections are a critical test of the BJP–AIADMK alliance, which on Wednesday gained another ally in the form of TTV Dhinakaran, general secretary of the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam. The party has also been highlighting the issue regarding the lighting of a lamp at an ancient temple associated with Lord Murugan, and accused Chief Minister M K Stalin and his son Udhayanidhi of consistently “attacking Sanatana Dharma and Hindus.”