DMK in trouble

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy seeking Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi’s permission to prosecute Chief Minister MK Stalin’s son and Sports Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin for calling to eradicate Sanatan Dharma stirred a debate. Swamy enjoys the people’s confidence as he even prosecuted All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) leader late J Jayalalithaa on graft charges. In the case of Udhayanidhi, the BJP octogenarian, a Sanatani, is determined to prosecute the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) minister for hurting his sentiments as in other 100 crore Hindus of the country’s 140 crore population. Stalin junior in his hate speech said that the time has come to eradicate practices of the ancient Sanatan Dharma which has become a pandemic like Covid-19 or seasonal diseases like dengu and malaria. These utterings are despite the Supreme Court’s appeal to politicians to restrain hate speeches in their political discourse. Yet, what surprises many is the Supreme Court’s stoic silence even after some eminent personalities, including former judges,  bureaucrats and armed forces chiefs asking it to take cognizance of the minister’s remark. That, perhaps, forced the BJP leader, who was instrumental in waging similar legal battles against political parties which practice appeasement politics to take up the case.

Lakhs of Hindus across India trust Swamy as he single-handedly pursued the fight to reclaim the right to build the Ram temple in the disputed site in Ayodhya. This was against the best efforts of the party which boasts of attaining Indian independence and ruled the state for six decades, to prevent the legal process from reaching its logical conclusion. One example to cite was how its then leader and legal practitioner Kapil Sibal sought to stall the verdict on Ayodhya before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, stating that it may lead to a law and order problem, which was nothing short of absurdity. Swamy is not only known as a crusader against those who bent upon destroying Hinduism in the country but also against corrupt politicians. And, he succeeded in his efforts was evident in getting Jayalalithaa convicted. Similarly, he also won, to a greater extent, against Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul in the National Herald case. Both are now on bail. With such an impressive track record, Swamy appears to untiringly pursue the case against Stalin junior for his uncharitable remark, which reminds one of the great dictators like Germany’s Adolf Hitler, who vowed to wipe out the  Jews, which led to the World War. In his letter to the Governor, Swamy said he intended to initiate a criminal complaint against the TN minister who called for eradication of Sanatan Dharma. “The offending statement of the accused has already reached millions of people creating an atmosphere of fear,” his letter mentioned.

According to him, he wanted to initiate action against the ‘guilty’ Udhayanidhi  Stalin, who violated the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including Sections 153A, 153B, 294A and 298, besides 509 of the IPC 1860. He said he is seeking the Governor’s permission as it is mandatory under Section 196 of the Criminal Procedure Code, 1973. He also referred to his earlier Supreme Court case, “Subramanian Swamy vs. Manmohan Singh (2012) 3SCC 1.” Now, if the Governor grants permission, it will not only trouble Stalin junior but also the DMK government, that too ahead of the next year’s Lok Sabha polls. Udhayanidhi’s hate speech will have an adverse impact on his party in elections as he is in no mood tender an unconditional apology despite the Sanatanis’ just demand. On top of it, the Chief Minister’s  yesterday’s endorsement of his son’s statement strengthens Swamy’s plea to the Governor, whose relations with the government are strained and may not get a better excuse to take it out on the DMK leadership. There are also murmurs within the party’s allies. Congress leader Acharya Pramod Krishnan said the DMK was set to sink the Indian National Democratic Inclusive Alliance (I.N.D.I.A.) bloc in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls with its hate speeches. Even Sajay Raut of Udhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena faction has joined to condemn the TN minister Udayanidhi Stalin’s statement.  “You cannot thrust your party’s views on the I.N.D.I.A. block and thus provide ammunition to the BJP,” Raut made it clear.  He asked the DMK to confine its ideological warfare to their state and cannot dare hurt 90 crore Hindus sentiments.  This far, it appears, the DMK is undoubtedly courting trouble!