Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai.
Credit: PTI File Photo
Droupadi Murmu, belonging to a tribal community was made the President and first citizen of the country and that is Sanatan Dharma, the Tamil Nadu BJP said on Wednesday.
Seeking to rebut DMK leader and Tamil Nadu Youth Welfare Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin's accusation that Murmu had not been invited to the new Parliament building's recent inauguration and that showed Sanatan's 'discriminatory' practice, State BJP President K Annamalai wondered why the DMK did not vote for her.
"Why the DMK did not vote in support of her in the Presidential election?" he sought to know. Asserting that all castes are equal, he said, to counter the DMK and for the sake of argument, he was asking the Tamil Nadu's ruling party about the candidate it supported.
"You (DMK) voted for Yashwant Sinha (against Murmu); to which community does he belong?" Annamalai asked during his interaction with reporters at Srivilliputhur near here.
'We the people of the country made her the President and that is Sanatan Dharma; why did not you vote in favour of her? The BJP leader also demanded to know if the DMK voted in favour of Ram Nath Kovind from the Scheduled Castes community.
"We, the believers of Sanatan Dharma voted for him as we believe that all are equal. Learn about Sanatan Dharma from us and Prime Minister Narendra Modi."
On Tuesday night, Udhayanidhi, when asked by reporters to give an 'example' to Sanatan's discriminatory practices that he opposed, the minister told reporters the 'best example is Murmu not being invited to the inauguration of the new Parliament building, that is the best current example.'
Even if Udhayanidhi had spoken about 'eradicating' any other religion, his party's would have been the first voice against it.
Similarly, he was opposing Udhayanidhi's comment against Sanatan Dharma, Annamalai said.
The BJP leader said for the past many decades the DMK has been levelling the very same allegations and making foolish accusations.