Do not go into history, stick to facts: PM Modi tells ministers on 'Sanatana Dharma' remark row

Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin's contentious comments about 'Sanatana Dharma' should be appropriately addressed. 

He also encouraged ministers not to remark on the India-Bharat dispute, saying that only the authorised person should do so.

"Do not go into history, but stick to the facts as per the Constitution. Also, speak about the contemporary situation of the issue," the Prime Minister said while speaking at a meeting of the Council of Ministers ahead of the G20 Summit in New Delhi.

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Udhayanidhi Stalin, the son of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, triggered a political row after he compared the Sanatan Dharma with diseases like dengue and malaria. "Such things should not be opposed but destroyed," he said while speaking at an event in Chennai on Saturday.

Meanwhile, an FIR has been filed against Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin and Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh after a complaint from advocates over Sanatan Dharma remarks.

Stalin was booked for his call to eradicate Sanatan Dharma and Kharge for backing his remark.

The two were booked under sections 295A (deliberate and malicious acts to outrage religious feelings) and 153 A (promoting enmity between different religious groups) of the IPC at Civil Lines Police Station on September 5.

The FIR came at the complaint of lawyers Harsh Gupta and Ram Singh Lodhi who highlighted media reports on Stalin’s statement alleging that the politicians; comments had hurt their feelings.