Destroying Sanatana does not mean people should not go to temples, says Udhayanidhi Stalin

DMK youth wing leader and Leader of Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin on Thursday, May 14, 2026, said that “destroying Sananana” does not mean people should stop going to temples.

Reacting to criticism of his speech in the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, in which he said, “Artana that divides people must be destroyed”, Mr. Udhayanidhi insisted that he will not bow to such criticism.

“The Dravidian movement faced opposition and became stronger,” he said.

Mr. Udhayanidhi said equal rights should be given to everyone, not just in temples but in society as a whole. “I only said that what divides people into upper caste and lower caste should be destroyed. I only reiterated the views of Periyar EV Ramasamy (social reformer), BR Ambedkar (architect of the Indian Constitution) and CN Annadurai (former Prime Minister),” he said.