Sanatan Dharma row: Silence of Gandhis baffles people, says BJP

The Sanatana Dharma controversy heated up further as DMK leader A Raja reportedly likened it to leprosy that had social stigma, which was countered by the BJP saying that “Ghamandia” allies are showing scant regard for the sensibilities of India.

Referring to Udayanidhi’s remarks, Raja, a former Union minister in the UPA government, said: “Sanatan Dharma should be regarded like HIV and leprosy that had social stigma,” he said.

Taking strong objection to this, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur termed Raja's remarks as "outrageous and vitriolic", and said his comments reflect opposition INDIA bloc's "mental bankruptcy" and "deep-rooted Hinduphobia".


The Congress and its allies are "consciously" maligning the "soul, spirit and roots of Bharat". Questioning the silence of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on remarks of his ally, Thakur said: "Where is Rahul Gandhi sleeping? Wake up...Do you agree with these statements? Isn't it a violation of law and constitution? Isn't this hate speech? Shouldn't they apologise to the people of the country?" he added.

Echoing similar sentiments, BJP’s senior leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “It is not for no reason that the coalition has been called ‘ghamandia’. Its members have the ghamand (arrogance) of understanding the sensibilities of India while showing scant regard for the same.”

Prasad added: "The silence of Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the movers and shakers of the Congress, baffles the people."