Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], January 22 : BJP leader K Annamalai accused the Tamil Nadu ruling party, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, of not implementing the Madras High Court order on the Tirupparankundram case. The court had upheld Justice G.R. Swaminathan's order regarding the lighting of lamps on the "Deepathoon" at the Tirupparankundram temple.
Speaking to reporters, Annamalai claimed that there is no repsect for the judiciary in Tamil Nadu, as DMK has not implemented several court orders, including the Tirupparankundram case.
"There is no respect for the judiciary in Tamil Nadu. Court orders, including in the Tirupparankundram case and several others, have not been implemented. People are watching all this. For another 50 days, people will have to endure these atrocities," said Annamalai.
The BJP leader called for the registration of an FIR against the state's deputy chief Minister, Udhayanidhi Stalin, over his "eradicate Sanatan Dharma" remarks. He claimed that no judicial verdict is acceptable to DMK and Left parties.
"At the very least, an FIR should be registered against Udhayanidhi. No verdict is acceptable to the DMK and Left parties. If a judge does not act in favour of the government, they resort to abusing him using caste and religion," said Annamalai.
Back in 2023, Udhayanidhi, in a press conference in Chennai, stated that 'Sanatana' (Sanatan Dharma) is like malaria and dengue, which should not merely be opposed but eradicated.
"A few things cannot be opposed but should only be abolished. We can't merely oppose dengue, mosquitoes, malaria, or coronavirus. They have to be eradicated. Rather than opposing Sanatana, it should be eradicated," he said.
After three years, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) IT Cell head Amit Malviya in the post on X, labelled Udhyanidhi's remarks as a call for genocide, which amounted to hate speech. Amit Malviya's remarks led to the FIR against him.
However, the Madras High Court quashed an FIR against Malviya, and according to BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala, the court also observed that the DMK leader's statements amounted to hate speech.
"Udhayanidhi Stalin, son of Tamilnadu CM MK Stalin, and a minister in the DMK Govt, has linked Sanatana Dharma to malaria and dengue... He is of the opinion that it must be eradicated and not merely opposed. In short, he is calling for the genocide of 80% population of Bharat, who follow Sanatan Dharma," said Malviya.
Reacting to the Madras High Court judgment, the BJP leader declared that if the DMK were truly a rule-of-law government, they would have sought the resignation of Udhayanidhi Stalin.
"In a judgment delivered 48 hours ago in a case involving a BJP IT Wing functionary, a High Court judge severely criticised the Deputy Chief Minister. The judge observed that equating the eradication of a religious belief from people's way of life to eliminating diseases like dengue or malaria was akin to advocating genocide. The Tamil Nadu Police should have at least taken action against the Deputy Chief Minister. If this were truly a rule-of-law government, they should have obtained a resignation letter from him," said Annamalai.
Additonally, he also accused the Communist Party in Tamil Nadu of allegedly acting as a mouthpiece of DMK.
"The Communist parties have now become organizations that merely echo others. There was a time when the Communist movement was believed to fight for the poor and to maintain simplicity in public life. But after joining the alliance, the Communist parties now repeat whatever the DMK says. What is the connection between abolishing Sanatana Dharma and women's empowerment? It is like tying together two completely unrelated things," added Annamalai.