Under intense attack from the BJP over his alleged anti-Sanatan Dharma remarks, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader and Tamil Nadu Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on Thursday mounted an offensive on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as he accused the saffron party leaders of "twisting" his statements made at a writers' conference here last week over the issue.
The DMK Youth Wing chief, who is the state minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development, vowed to face all cases in this connection legally.
His sharp criticism of Modi, saying he was "globe-trotting", afraid of facing questions over the Manipur violence, came a day after the PM discussed the row over the TN leader's alleged anti-Sanatan Dharma remarks with his cabinet colleagues in New Delhi.
Modi had said parties and leaders behind such statements should be exposed and the truth brought before people.
"For the last 9 years, all your (Bharatiya Janata Party) promises are empty promises. What have you exactly done for our welfare is a question currently being raised in unison by the entire country against an unarmed, fascist BJP government. It is in this background that the BJP leaders have twisted my speech at the TNPWAA conference as 'inciting genocide'. They consider it a weapon to protect themselves," he said in a statement.
What is surprising is that those like Union Minister Amit Shah and chief ministers of BJP-ruled states are demanding action against him based on "fake news," Udhayanidhi said.
"In all fairness, I should be the one filing criminal cases and other court cases against them for spreading slander while holding respectable positions. But I am aware that this is their mode of survival. They don't know how else to survive, so I decided not to do that," he said.
He was one of the political heirs of Dravidian stalwart, the late CN Annadurai, the founder of the DMK. "Everyone knows that we are not enemies of any religion."
"I would like to quote Anna's comment on religions which remains relevant even today. If a religion leads people towards equality and teaches them fraternity, then I too am a spiritualist. If a religion divides people in the name of castes, if it teaches them untouchability and slavery, I would be the first person to oppose religion," he said quoting Annadurai.
He said DMK respects all religions that teach all lives are born equal.
"But without an iota of understanding about any of these, Thiru Modi and Co are solely dependent on such slanders to face the Parliamentary elections. On the one hand, I can only feel sorry for them. For the last 9 years, Modi has been doing nothing. Occasionally he demonetises money, builds wall to hide huts, builds new Parliament building, erects a Sengol (scepter) there, plays around by changing the name of the country, standing at border and making the white flag work," he lashed out.
Has there been any progressive scheme from the Union government in the last nine years like the DMK's "Pudhumai Penn" or the chief minister's breakfast scheme or the Kalaignar's women's rights scheme, he asked.
"Have they built the AIIMS in Madurai? Did they take forward any knowledge movement like the Kalaignar centenary library."
"Afraid of having to face questions about Manipur in India, he is globe-trotting along with his friend Adani. The fact is, the ignorance of the people is the capital of their theatrical politics."
"Thiru Modi and co are using the Sanatana ploy to divert the attention from the facts including the killing of more than 250 people in the riots incited in Manipur and the Rs 7.5 lakh crore corruption," he charged.
The "Rs 7.5 lakh crore corruption" apparently referred to the Comptroller and Auditor General report on road laying expenditure under a central scheme.
Without naming anyone, he said some people who think that it would suffice for their mouths to do all the public work have been meeting the media and distorting his statements.
"They are making a living by renting out their voices. I don't wish to spoil their livelihood."
On a UP seer announcing Rs 10 crore bounty on his head following the furore over the Sanatan Dharma remarks, he said "It is the seers who need a lot of publicity today."
"One such seer has jumped in and put a price of Rs 10 crore on my head. What surprises me more than the price on my head is how can someone who claimed to have renounced everything have Rs 10 crore. Apart from this, many people seem to be filing complaints against me at various police stations and honourable courts in the country. In this situation, I am given to understand that our party members have been filing complaints in various police stations against the seer who issued the death threats, besides burning his effigies and pictures, and putting up posters condemning him."
"We are the ones to teach decency to others. That's what our leaders have taught us. I therefore urge our movement's comrades to avoid such things altogether. Besides we have numerous movement work and people's work waiting for us," he said.
On the occasion of the centenary of the late Karunanidhi, chief minister and party president MK Stalin has entrusted many works on behalf of the government and the party. Besides, one has to work for the second state conference of the Youth wing, Parliamentary elections and many other such things.
"When there is so much work to be done, I request our cadres to not be involved in works that waste our time like filing cases against the seers, or burning his effigies. I would like to inform that I will face the cases filed against me legally with the guidance of our party president and on the advice of our party high command," he said.
Udhayanidhi also hit out at his party's archrival All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and its general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami.
"When we were in the opposition, we used to go from house to house to distribute essential commodities including rice, groceries and vegetables. What were the ADMK and BJP doing then? They were fighting hard to eradicate the coronavirus by banging bells and holding lamps."
"We are the ruling party today. Even today, we are going from house to house to provide welfare assistance to meaningfully celebrate the Kalaignar's (the late M Karunanidhi) centenary. On the other hand, the AIADMK is holding tamarind rice conferences in the backdrop of songs and dances...," he said.
"Palaniswami is dancing to all their tunes," and was supporting them on matters like "One nation and one election," he said.
