Ayodhya: DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin on Monday mocked Ayodhya seer Paramhans Acharya for announcing a reward of Rs 10 crore to behead him over his alleged remarks against 'Sanatan Dharma'.
"Paramhans Acharya says he'll give Rs 10 crore to shave my head. A 10-rupee comb is enough to comb my hair," he said spinning a pun around the Tamil word 'seevu' which means both comb and slice.
Stalin added that he was the grandson M Karunanidhi who did not hesitate to put his head on the railway track for Tamil.
"I will pay Rs 10 crore cash reward to anyone who beheads Stalin and brings his head to me. If no one dares to kill Stalin, I will myself find him and kill him," Paramhans Acharya, the chief priest of the Tapaswi Chawni temple of Ayodhya, had said.
The seer has in the past made similar announcements over Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya's comments on Ramcharitmanas and over Shahrukh Khan for showing saffron attire in his blockbuster movie Pathaan. "Sanatan Dharma neither has a beginning nor an end. It has never been destroyed and can never be destroyed," he said, warning that anyone trying to destroy Sanatan Dharma will be destroyed.
A few days ago, Stalin had alleged that 'Sanatan Dharma' is against equality and social justice, and that it should be eradicated. He also likened 'Sanatan Dharma' to coronavirus, malaria, and dengue fever and said such things should not be opposed but destroyed.
Unfazed by the widespread opposition to his stand, the DMK leader said he spoke about "eradicating" certain practices in the faith and that he would continue to raise his voice against them. He said he didn't speak about just the Hindu faith but about all those that do so.
"I will again and again talk on the issue that I spoke at the event on Saturday. I will speak more. I told that day itself that I am going to talk about the issue which is going to irritate many and that is what has happened," he told reporters here.
Sanatan Dharma meant it was permanent and cannot be changed, he claimed.
"Women were confined indoors but they have come out. They said women cannot get education, only Dravidam (the DMK's ideology) gave them education. Even the breakfast scheme (in Tamil Nadu) is to ensure more children, especially girls, get education," Udhayanidhi said.
"Sanatanam (as pronounced in Tamil) enslaved women," he said adding there once used to be the practice of Sati in which widows sacrificed their lives by jumping into their husbands' funeral pyre. "These are all Sanatanam. This is what I stressed upon on eradicating. I will continue to say so," he added. He also said he was unfazed by any threats to his life over the issue.
The DMK leader's remarks that Sanatan Dharma must be "eradicated" created a furore across the country with the BJP and Hindu right-wing groups taking strong exception to the views.
Union Ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh among others had hit out at the DMK leader for his comments.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said no one should be involved in any matter that might hurt people. Every religion has separate sentiments and India is about unity in diversity, she said.
Meanwhile, the Congress on Monday said it respects all religions and stressed that others also have the freedom to express their views.
"Actually, our view is very clear - 'Sarvadharma Sambhav' (equal respect to all religions) is the Congress ideology. But, you have to understand that every political party has its own freedom to tell their views," he said.
(With PTI inputs.)
