Udhayanithi Stalin's comments leave Telugu political parties confused

Tamil Nadu minister and DMK stalwart Udhayanithi Stalin's comments calling for death to Sanatana Dharma have thrown parties and leaders off gear in Andhra Pradesh. While the political parties, except the BJP, have remained neutral and refrained from responding, the leaders have shot off their mouths either in support of the comments or against them. Interestingly, Stalin Junior's comments have divided the parties.

The TDP and the YSRCP have officially not responded to the comments. Both the parties and the Jana Sena are vying to join hands with the BJP. So, they were cagey about Udhayanithi's comments. However, some TDP leaders with a decided pro-Left tilt have welcomed the comments. For instance, Prakasam district TDP chief Nukasani Balaji supported Stalin and called for the eradication of Sanatana Dharma. Few more leaders too came up with similar comments.

At the same time, former minister Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy has strongly reacted to Udhayanithi's comments. He said such intemperate comments cannot be tolerated. In YSRCP too, there's division of opinion. the TTD has said that it would work for the propagation of Sanatana Dharma and initiate several programmes to bring youth closer to dharma. TTD chief Bhumana Karunakar Reddy strongly rejected Stalin's remarks.

Film actor Ramcharan was among the first to respond from the film world. He strongly refuted the comments of Udhayanithi and said that he was a staunch follower of Sanatana Dharma. He said wherever he went, he would set up a small worship place there and perform his daily worship to the God almighty. The response of the average Telugus too is strongly against the statement against Sanatana Dharma. However, some Communists have voiced their support to the statement.