New Delhi:

The row over animal fat (allegedly) in ghee used to make the Tirupati laddoos has ramped up after Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan expanded on his ‘sanatan dharm‘ vow to jab (without naming) the DMK’s Udhayanidhi Stalin, his counterpart from neighbouring Tamil Nadu.

Mr Kalyan’s jab at Mr Stalin was swiftly rebutted, though, with DMK spokesperson Dr Syed Hafeezullah saying his party “does not talk about any religion, or Hinduism in particular” but “will continue to talk against caste atrocities, untouchability, and caste hierarchy”.

Speaking Thursday at the temple town Mr Kalyan described allegations of adulterated ghee in the laddoosas “the tip of the iceberg” of five years of YSR Congress misrule, in which “we don’t know how many crores of rupees they collected (in bribes)”. This must be investigated further, he said.

Mr Kalyan, however, walked back from directly linking or blaming former Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy, saying, “It is not just about the honourable Chief Minister… never, till today have I pointed to him and said, ‘he is the one… he is the perpetrator’. I am on record. Even now I am not blaming him.”

But while his attack on the YSRCP echoed those by his ally, the ruling TDP, it was his swipe at “a Tamil Nadu leader who says ‘sanatan dharm‘ is like a virus and must be destroyed” that made headlines.

The jab was inarguably directed at Udhayanidhi Stalin’s comment in September last year; Mr Stalin had argued that ‘sanatan dharm‘ against the idea of social justice and compared it to viral diseases like malaria and dengue, declaring “it must be eradicated and not opposed”.

The remark triggered a political row since it came months before a general election; the BJP pounced on Mr Stalin, the DMK, and the Congress-led INDIA opposition bloc (of which the Tamil party is a member), accusing them of calling for the ‘genocide’ of ‘sanatan dharm‘ practitioners.

On Thursday Mr Kalyan dug that remark out of cold storage, declaring, in Tamil, “Don’t say ‘sanatan dharm‘ is like a virus and (you) will destroy (it). Whoever said this, let me tell you sir… you cannot wipe out ‘sanatan dharm‘. If anyone tries… then you will be wiped out.”

“I am an unapologetic ‘sanatani‘ Hindu. Let me be very clear,” the Jana Sena Party boss, clad in saffron, thundered at a public rally at the temple town.

The DMK’s response was detailed and quick, calling out both Mr Kalyan and his boss, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, for comments heavily criticised last week by the Supreme Court.

DMK spokesperson Dr Hafeezullah also called Mr Kalyan, Mr Naidu and his TDP, and the BJP, which is an ally to both leaders, as “the real enemies of Hinduism and humanity”.

“DMK does not talk about any religion… it is the people from the BJP, TDP, and Pawan Kalyan who use religion and Hindu gods for political gains. They are the real enemies… this statement (by Mr Kalyan) is an attempt to divert attention from crores affected by their policies.”

“And, as far as the DMK’s stand on caste untouchability goes.. it is similar to that taken by Baba Ambedkar, Jyotirao Phule, and Periyar, and other founders of the Dravidian movement. Whoever is promoting it… you can call it anything but DMK will continue to oppose these practices.”

READ | Pawan Kalyan Ends 11-Day Penance At Tirumala Temple

In the aftermath of the laddoos row Mr Kalyan has repeatedly called for a pan-India committee to protect ‘sanatan dharma’ and warned of the ‘desecration of ‘sanathan dharma’ in any form”. Declaring himself deeply offended, he went on a 11-day penance concluding Wednesday at Tirupati.

“Keep Gods Out Of Politics…”

The Supreme Court, he also said, had already criticised Chandrababu Naidu for jumping the gun about allegations of animal fat in Tirupati laddoo ghee; the court last week said religion and politics could not be allowed to mix and took a dim view of Mr Naidu’s comments on this topic.

READ | “Keep Gods Out Of Politics”: Supreme Court On Tirupati Laddoo Row

The court this morning ordered a special team – consisting of two CBI officers, two Andhra Pradesh Police personnel, and a senior official from the centre-run Food Safety and Standards Authority – to investigate the animal fat claims.

READ | “Matter Of Faith”: Top Court Orders Special Probe Into Laddoo Row

A bench of Justice BR Gavai and Justice KV Viswanathan said the court does not want ‘political drama’ on this topic since it represents an important matter of faith for millions of devotees worldwide.

NDTV Explains | How The Laddoos Made And How Ingredients Are Procured

The kitchen at Tirupati makes around three lakh laddoos daily, with around 1,500 kg of ghee and vast amounts of cashew nuts, raisins, cardamoms, gram flour, and sugar used.

Last month the Andhra government red-flagged a July report from a lab in Gujarat that said samples of the the ghee bought from a supplier in Tamil Nadu’s Dindigul contained traces of fish oil, beef tallow, and lard, which is a form of pig fat. The lab also added a disclaimer about “false positives”.

With input from agencies

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New Delhi:

Udhayanidhi Stalin, Tamil Nadu minister and son of Chief Minister MK Stalin, said on Saturday that Sanatana Dharma is against the idea of social justice and must be “eradicated”.

Mr Stalin compared Sanatana Dharma with diseases like dengue and malaria, inviting sharp criticism from BJP leaders. 

“Sanatana is like malaria and dengue and so it must be eradicated and not opposed,” he said as quoted by news agency ANI. 

The comments triggered massive backlash on social media, with many calling for a case to be filed against the Tamil Nadu minister. 

“Rahul Gandhi speaks of ‘mohabbat ki dukaan‘ but Congress ally DMK’s scion talks about eradicating Sanatana Dharma. Congress’s silence is support for this genocidal call. INDIA Alliance, true to its name, if given an opportunity, will annihilate the millennia-old civilisation that is Bharat,” BJP’s Amit Malviya posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. 

Udhayanidhi Stalin’s hate speech with Hindi subtitles.

Rahul Gandhi speaks of ‘मोहब्बत की दुकान’ but Congress ally DMK’s scion talks about eradicating Sanatana Dharma. Congress’s silence is support for this genocidal call…

I.N.D.I Alliance, true to its name, if given an… https://t.co/hfTVBBxHQ5pic.twitter.com/ymMY04f983

— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) September 2, 2023

The DMK, a member of the INDIA bloc, met with other opposition leaders in Mumbai recently to streamline strategies for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where they will be contesting against the BJP-led NDA.

Mr Stalin’s remarks came at a writers’ conference in Chennai where he said Sanatana Dharma cannot be simply opposed but must be eradicated. The Tamil Nadu minister argued that the idea is inherently regressive, dividing people on the basis of caste and gender, and is fundamentally opposed to equality and social justice.

Responding to Mr Malviya’s tweet, he wrote: “I never called for the genocide of people who are following Sanatans Dharma. Sanatana Dharma is a principle that divides people in the name of caste and religion. Uprooting Sanatana Dharma is upholding humanity and human equality. I stand firmly by every word I have spoken. I spoke on behalf of the oppressed and marginalized, who suffer due to the Sanatana Dharma.

I never called for the genocide of people who are following Sanatan Dharma. Sanatan Dharma is a principle that divides people in the name of caste and religion. Uprooting Sanatan Dharma is upholding humanity and human equality.

I stand firmly by every word I have spoken. I spoke… https://t.co/Q31uVNdZVb

— Udhay (@Udhaystalin) September 2, 2023

“I am ready to present the extensive writings of Periyar and Ambedkar, who conducted in-depth research on Sanatana Dharma and its negative impact on society in any forum.  Let me reiterate the crucial aspect of my speech: I believe, like the spread of diseases like COVID-19, Dengue, and Malaria by mosquitoes, that Sanatana Dharma is responsible for many social evils.

“I am prepared to confront any challenges that come my way, whether in a court of law or the people’s court. Stop spreading fake news.”

K Annamalai, the state president of the BJP, accused Udhayanidhi Stalin and Chief Minister MK Stalin, of echoing the ideas of Christian missionaries.

“The only resolve that the Gopalapuram Family has is to accumulate wealth beyond the State GDP. Thiru Udhayanidhi Stalin, you, your father, or his or your idealogue have a bought-out idea from Christian missionaries and the idea of those missionaries was to cultivate dimwits like you to parrot their malicious ideology,” Mr Annamalai wrote on X.

The only resolve that the Gopalapuram Family has is to accumulate wealth beyond the State GDP.

Thiru @Udhaystalin, you, your father, or his or your idealogue have a bought-out idea from Christian missionaries & the idea of those missionaries was to cultivate dimwits like you to… https://t.co/sWVs3v1viM

— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) September 2, 2023

“Tamil Nadu is a land of spiritualism. The best you can do is to hold a Mic in an event like this and rant out your frustration!” he added.