Anurag Thakur said 'Sanatana Dharma' "was, is and will remain here". (File)
Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Monday slammed DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin for his comments against 'Sanatana Dharma' and asked leaders of the opposition INDIA bloc to tender a public apology.
Describing the INDIA alliance as a "ghamandiya gathbandhan", Mr Thakur accused the bloc of stooping to "politics of polarisation" to derive political mileage and claimed that people have seen through their game plan.
Tamil Nadu Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin has courted controversy after claiming that 'Sanatana Dharma' is against equality and social justice and that it should be eradicated.
Udhayanidhi Stalin, son of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, also likened 'Sanatana Dharma' to the coronavirus, malaria and dengue, and said it should not be opposed but destroyed.
Mr Thakur told reporters after addressing a 'Meri Mati, Mera Desh' campaign at Harbanspur village that 'Sanatana Dharma' "was, is and will remain here".
"... you, the ones dreaming to abolish Hindus, (should) be formidably reminded that all those who had nursed such a sinister dream were reduced to ashes and dust. The friends of the 'ghamandiya gathbandhan' may or may not be there but 'Sanatana' was, is and will remain here," Mr Thakur said.
Hitting out further, Thakur said, "Leaders of the INDIA alliance should tender a public apology to the nation as well as the Hindu community. The Congress and its allies are in a desperate race to malign and demean the Hindus, either by calling them extremists or by their verbal barbs or physical attacks, especially in West Bengal, Bihar and other places."
"Their objective and mindset is to polarise people with an eye on votes but people will throw them away as they have understood their designs," Mr Thakur added.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)