Chennai: A case has been registered against Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP)’s IT department head Amit Malviya over a tweet against Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader and Tamil Nadu Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin.

Udhayanidhi said that Sanatana dharma should not just be opposed, but “eradicated”

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Malviya had said that Udhayanidhi’s recent remark on ‘Sanatana Dharma’ is a call for “genocide” of 80 per cent of the population that follows it.

“He (Udhayanidhi) is of the opinion that it (Sanatana Dharma) must be eradicated and not merely opposed. In short, he is calling for genocide of 80% population of Bharat, who follow Sanatan Dharma,” Malviya said in a tweet on September 2.

The FIR was filed by Tamil Nadu’s Trichy Police on a complaint by Trichy South district DMK functionary KAV Dhinakaran, under sections 153, 153 (A), 504 and 505 (1) (b) sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

“Despite Udhayanidhi Stalin issuing clarification over his remarks on Sanathana Dharma, with political motive, Amit Malviya deliberately distorted the speech made by the minister to incite violence and hatred between two groups and to undermine communal harmony,” the complaint read.

Udhayanidhi Stalin’s recent remark on ‘Sanatana Dharma’ sparked a row, following which, several Hindutva groups, political parties including the BJP, criticised the DMK leader.

Speaking at the Sanatana Abolition Conference on Saturday, Udhayanidhi said that Sanatana dharma should not just be opposed, but “eradicated”.

“Few things cannot be opposed, that should be abolished only. We can’t oppose dengue, mosquitoes, malaria or corona. We have to eradicate this. That’s how we have to eradicate Sanatana,” he had said during the conference.

After Malviya’s tweet, Udhayanidhi had clarified that he had not called for violence against the followers of Sanatana Dharma.

However, he said he “sticks firmly” with his remarks, would be prepared to face any legal challenges. He asserted that he spoke on behalf of the marginalised communities, who, he said, were suffering due to ‘Sanatana Dharma’.