NEW DELHI: Reacting to the Sanatana Dharma controversy on remarks of Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin a week ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reacted by saying that it 'needs proper response' and that it should be appropriately addressed. 

PM Modi's response came a day after Udhayanidhi Stalin cited the Central government's omission of an invite to President Droupadi Murmu for the inauguration of the new parliament as an example of discrimination by practitioners of Sanatana dharma. He was speaking at a meeting of the Council of Ministers ahead of the G20 Summit in New Delhi.

Remarks made by Tamil Nadu Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development Udhayanidhi Stalin who is in the state cabinet led by his father the chief minister of the state, M. K. Stalin had said that "Sanatana is like malaria and dengue and so it must be eradicated and not opposed."

Delivering his address at a writers' conference in Chennai Udhayanidhi said, "While I thank the organisers of this conference for giving me the opportunity to deliver a special address. I appreciate that, you have kept the name of the conference as 'Sanatana Abolition Conference' rather than 'Anti-Sanatana Conference' few things cannot be opposed, that should be abolished only."

Udhayanidhi added that the word Sanatanam was derived from Sanskrit and it is against equality and social justice.

The minister's comments triggered a massive backlash on social media, especially from the cadres of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with many calling for a case to be filed against the Tamil Nadu minister.

BJP's IT national department head Amit Malviya posted on X (former Twitter) saying that Stalin had linked Sanatana Dharma to malaria and dengue and wanted it eradicated and not merely opposed. "In short, he is calling for a genocide of 80% population of Bharat, who follow Sanatan Dharma," he posted. 

Responding to the backlash on social media, Udhayanidhi also posted his response on X saying that he was ready to face any legal challenge and would not be cowed down by such usual saffron threats. He clarified that he never called for the genocide of people who were following Sanatan Dharma. 

During his meeting, PM Modi 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," he advised the ministers.