As Congress continues with its ‘soft Hindutva’ approach ahead of the Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, veteran leader Kamal Nath on Monday said that he was “not in agreement” with Udhayanidhi Stalin’s “eradicate Sanatana Dharma” remarks.
The ex-Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister is prepping for an Assembly election in his state later this year.
The Congress seemed to waver between support for the embattled Tamil Nadu politician and rejection of his comment. On one hand, senior leader KC Venugopal underlined the need to respect all religions, stating that every political outfit “has the freedom to (express) their views” and that the Congress “respects everybody’s beliefs”.
Also Read: ‘Ready to face any case’: MK Stalin’s son defends ‘eradicate Sanatana Dharma’ remark
“Our view is clear… ‘Sarva Dharma Samabhava’ is the Congress ideology,” KC Venugopal said.
On the other hand, Kamal Nath told reporters, “These may be his personal views… I am not in agreement with Mr Stalin.”
Addressing a writers’ conference in Chennai last week, Udhayanidhi Stalin had said the idea of “Sanatana Dharma is against the idea of social justice and must be eradicated”.
Stalin later accused the BJP of “twisting” his statement and spreading incorrect information, and that he was ready to face any cases filed against him, including one filed with Delhi Police on Sunday.
Also Read: Delhi BJP leaders submit ‘protest letter’ at Tamil Nadu Bhawan against Udhayanidhi Stalin
Kamal Nath backs ‘Hindu rashtra’
Congress MP and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Kamal Nath, recently said that as 82 per cent of people in the nation were Hindus, India was already a “Hindu rashtra”.
He said this while referring to self-styled godman Dhirendra Shastri’s demands for a Hindu rashtra and added that there should be no debate on the matter as it was an established fact backed by data.
The Congress leader’s statement came after a Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader hit out at MP Nakul Kamal Nath, Kamal Nath’s son, after he welcomed Bageshwar Dham’s head priest Dhirendra Shastri in Chhindwara.
Both the RJD and the Congress are part of the Opposition bloc – INDIA. The criticism also sparked speculation of internal conflicts within the newly formed Opposition alliance.
Nakul Kamal Nath had welcomed the self-styled godman, expressing his enthusiasm on X (formerly Twitter). “It is our good fortune that Gurudev’s feet touched the holy land of Chhindwara,” the Congress MP had said.
‘Soft Hindutva’ approach
The Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) chief is often accused of using “soft Hindutva” approach to counter the BJP’s attempts to paint the grand-old party as anti-Hindu and a practitioner of appeasement politics.
Also Read: Changing name of opposition alliance can’t hide hatred for ‘Sanatan Dharma’: Anurag Thakur
“Kya BJP ne Hindutva ka theka le rakha hai? (Is the BJP the sole arbiter of Hindutva?)” Nath has often been heard retorting to queries about his and the Congress’ moves to embrace soft Hindutva. With elections due later this year, the party has unabashedly taken to this philosophy.