The controversial comments made by Udhyanidhi Stalin, the son of Tamil Nadu State Chief Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin, have triggered a massive row, with the federally ruling BJP describing his remarks as anti-Hindu.
During a public event at the weekend, Stalin - whose father is a leader of Congress ally, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party - likened Hinduism to vector-borne viruses such as dengue and malaria.
"Sanatana (Hinduism) is like malaria and dengue and so it must be eradicated and not opposed," he said.
His statement drew a sharp rebuke from the BJP with the party's Information and Technology cell chief Amit Malviya warning that Stalin's call to eradicate Hinduism was "genocidal".
M.K. Stalin
© AP Photo / R. Parthibhan
"[Former Congress Party president] Rahul Gandhi speaks of 'Mohabbat ki dukaan (shop of love)' but the son of his Congress ally talks about eradicating Sanatana Dharma. Congress' silence implicitly supports this genocidal call. INDIA Alliance, true to its name, if given an opportunity, will annihilate the millennia-old civilization that is Bharat," Malviya wrote on X, previously Twitter.
Furthermore, BJP's state president in Tamil Nadu, K Annamalai, accused Stalin and his father of preaching the language of "Christian missionaries."
As the row mushroomed with several users on the highly influential messaging app demanding the arrest of Udhayanidhi Stalin, Congress stressed that his comments did not reflect the beliefs of the party.
"Congress' stand is clear, we do not want to comment on any religion or to hurt anyone's feelings," senior Congress politician Nana Patole told reporters in response to a query on Stalin's remarks.