PM Modi in Madhya Pradesh: ‘Opposition wants to destroy sanatana’

The Opposition plans to destroy sanatana dharma and attack the centuries-old tradition of the country that inspired Mahatma Gandhi to start a movement opposing untouchability, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday, in a scathing attack on the INDIA bloc just months ahead of crucial heartland assembly polls.

In his first public response to controversial criticism of sanatana dharma by Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin two weeks ago, Modi urged the people to unite and defeat forces that want to destroy traditions and push the country into a thousand-year-cycle of slavery.

“The ghamandia (arrogant) alliance met in Mumbai recently. They have neither any policies, nor issues, nor a leader. They have a hidden agenda of attacking sanatana dharma which they want to destroy,” Modi said at an event in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh’s Sagar district, referring to the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA).

“I think at this meeting they have made a policy and strategy…Their intention is to destroy the ideas, values and traditions that have united India for thousands of years,” he added.

The controversy began on September 3, when Udhayanidhi Stalin, the son of Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin, compared sanatana dharma with diseases such as dengue and malaria and called for its eradication while addressing a conference of Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers in Chennai. The BJP interpreted his remarks as a call for “genocide” of Hindus even as the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam rejected such allegations, saying Udhayanidhi was speaking against caste practices that were rooted in centuries-old orthodoxy. First information reports (FIRs) were registered against Udhayanidhi and Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge, who came out in his defence, in Rampur, and some quarters even issued threats of physical violence.

During his 40-minute speech, Modi refused to refer to the 28-party opposition grouping that has come together to fight the Bharatiya Janata Party in the 2024 polls as INDIA, referring to it as the INDI alliance and ghamandia, a reference to the BJP’s political charge that opposition parties were arrogant and dynastic.

Modi said the sanatana tradition had inspired personalities such as Ahilyabai Holkar to push for women’s empowerment, and Rani Lakshmi Bai to challenge the British.

“It was sanatana in which Gandhiji believed throughout his life. Lord Shri Ram who inspired him throughout his life and his last words were Hey Ram. Sanatana inspired him to start the movement against untouchability and these people of the alliance want to end that Sanatana tradition,” said the PM.

He also said sanatana traditions inspired Swami Vivekananda to fight against social evils Bal Gangadhar Tilak to create the tradition of Ganesh Utsav for the freedom movement. “This was the power of sanatana that the heroes who were hanged in the freedom movement used to say that they will get the next birth in the lap of Mother India. The sanatana culture which is the reflection of Saint Ravidas, the identity of Mata Shabari, the basis of Maharishi Valmiki, the sanatana which has kept India united for thousands of years, these people together now want to break that sanatana into pieces,” said Modi.

He asked the people of India to remain alert. “By destroying sanatana, they want to push the country into slavery for a thousand years. We have to stop such forces together. With the power of our organisation and unity, we have to foil their plans,” he added.

The comments marked the first time Modi has waded into the controversy and underlined the BJP’s efforts at framing sanatana dharma as synonymous with Hinduism, a largely successful attempt in north India. In the southern states, in contrast, sanatana traditions are viewed through the lens of caste-based practices, making its political salience less effective.

Modi’s comments — just months before scheduled assembly polls in five states, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram and Telangana — also touched upon the recently concluded G20 summit and the government’s welfare push. He thanked the people of India and said foreign guests were never impressed by the diversity and heritage of the country at such a grand scale before.

“You all have seen how India successfully organised the G20. Tell me, did you feel proud of the success of the G20 or not? Is your head held high or not? This G20 was such a huge success, who gets the credit for it, who made it happen? This was not done by Modi, this is done by all of you. This is the success of 140 crore Indians,” he said.

The Prime Minister was speaking at the foundation stone laying ceremony of a ₹50,000-crore petrochemicals complex at Bina Refinery in Sagar district of Madhya Pradesh.

In an apparent reference to the earlier Congress regime, Modi said those who ruled Madhya Pradesh for a long time did nothing but only indulged in corruption and crime. “Criminals held sway in the state earlier. But after we (the BJP) were given the chance (to rule), the lawlessness and corruption have disappeared,” Modi said. With the change in the atmosphere, industrialists are investing in the state, he added.

From being a laggard, Madhya Pradesh was now scaling new heights, Modi said, adding that his guarantees were there before the people to judge, attempting to draw a contrast to recent poll guarantees offered by the Congress that include subsidised LPG and electricity, implementation of old pension scheme, ₹1500 to women and reintroduction of farm loan waiver scheme.

“Remember their track record, see my track record,” he said, adding that he had delivered on the guarantee of permanent houses to the poor, toilets for every household, smoke-free kitchens to mothers, free medical treatment, no-frills bank accounts and subsidised cooking gas cylinders under Ujjwala Scheme.

“The country has come out of a mindset of slavery and the new India is marching ahead with pride… the government will provide 7.5 million new gas connections to women in the country so that every household has cooking gas,” he said, adding that ₹10 lakh crore was spent for welfare programmes in the past nine years.

He also mentioned about the central government’s scheme to provide clean drinking water to every household. “In just four years, tap water was supplied to about 100 million families across the country. Piped water has been supplied to 6.5 million families in MP. The mothers and sisters of Bundelkhand are benefiting a lot from this,” he added.

He said that the BJP worked for the poor and called himself a son of the poor. “When the terrible crisis of Covid struck, the government provided free vaccination to the countrymen. We are your companions in happiness and sorrow. Our government gave free ration to more than 800 million countrymen so that the poor don’t remain hungry. This son of the poor worried about the ration of the poor’s house. I am still fulfilling this responsibility with the blessings of all of you,” he added.

The PM promised that the “double-engine”government – a reference to the BJP being in power both at the Centre and in the state – will celebrate the 500th birth anniversary of Gond queen Rani Durgavati on October 5 in a grand manner.

Hitting back, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said, “Look, who’s talking! The man who uses the occasion of a government function to abuse the Opposition. He said Congress didn’t do anything for Bundelkhnad but he should have knowledge that Bina Refinery was inaugurated by then PM Manmohan Singh.”