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Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla on Thursday hit out at Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin over his "rise in hate speech against minorities" remarks, saying that he lectures others about religious tolerance while his son Udhayanidhi Stalin says "Sanatan should be eliminated".
"Stalin lectures others about religious tolerance, harmony, and secularism, but his son says Sanatan should be eliminated. His leader, A Raja, has said that Hinduism and Hindus are like AIDS. The DMK government is denying the rights of Hindus by not allowing them to light lamps at temples, while giving full rights to the Dargah to perform rituals and festivals in the same area," Poonawalla told ANI. Meanwhile, BJP leader Vinoj P Selvam today criticised MK Stalin's remarks, accusing him of not respecting the rights and beliefs of the majority. He said the Tamil Nadu administration refused to light the lamp atop Thiruparankundram for "minority appeasement," despite the Madras High Court allowing the tradition to continue. "I would like to question him as to why, even after the High Court has very clearly given an order about the lighting of the lamp on top of Thiruparankundram just for the sake of appeasement of minorities, you have refused that. When the Santhanakoodu festival can happen without any hindrance, the Hindus have no problem with that," Selvam told ANI. "Why do you think the Muslims will have a problem with the lamp being lit, which is a traditional practice, as you have admitted in court that it was being done? So after all that, when you are not interested in respecting the rights of the majority, the beliefs of the majority, I don't think you should be preaching about how the minority should be treated after the BJP has assumed office," he added. Earlier in the day, MK Stalin cited a reported 74 per cent rise in hate speech against minorities since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) assumed office in the centre and said that it "signals grave danger ahead". He said that the attacks by a "few right-wing violent groups", even when Prime Minister Narendra Modi participates in Christmas celebrations, send a disturbing message to the country. "When a few right-wing violent groups, acting in the name of the majority, indulge in attacks and riots, even as the Prime Minister participates in Christmas celebrations, it sends a disturbing message to the nation," Stalin posted on X. He cited alleged reports of attacks on minorities in Jabalpur and Raipur and said that it was unacceptable to those who value harmony. "After Manipur, reports of attacks on minorities in Jabalpur, Raipur, and elsewhere are unacceptable to anyone who values harmony. A reported 74 per cent rise in hate speech against minorities since the Union BJP government assumed office signals grave danger ahead. Curbing riotous groups that divide society is therefore a shared and urgent duty, to be enforced with firm resolve," Stalin said. He said that the "true strength and character of a majority lie in ensuring that minorities live without fear". (ANI)
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