The political battle over Sanatan Dharma has exploded once again in Tamil Nadu, with DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin reigniting one of the state’s most controversial debates inside the Assembly itself.

On the opening day of the newly elected Assembly session after the 2026 Tamil Nadu elections, Udhayanidhi doubled down on his earlier anti-Sanatan stance and declared that “Sanatanam, which divided people, must be eradicated.” Watch the video below:

The statement instantly triggered uproar across political circles and reignited a controversy that had once snowballed into multiple legal cases against him.

What made the moment even more dramatic was the silence inside the House from Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, who was present during the remarks but chose not to intervene or react.

The silence is already fuelling intense political chatter, with rivals accusing the ruling establishment of indirectly endorsing the controversial comments.

This is not the first time Udhayanidhi has landed in the middle of a Sanatan Dharma storm.

His earlier remarks comparing Sanatan Dharma to diseases such as dengue and malaria had triggered nationwide outrage, protests, police complaints, and courtroom battles.

The BJP and several Hindu organisations had then accused him of insulting Hindu beliefs and attempting to divide society through provocative rhetoric.

However, this time, the situation is legally different.

Since the remarks were made inside the Tamil Nadu Assembly, constitutional protections are expected to shield the DMK leader from prosecution.

Under Article 194 of the Constitution, legislators enjoy immunity for statements made during Assembly proceedings, making legal action over such speeches extremely difficult.

Even so, the political temperature around the issue has shot up once again. Opposition leaders are now accusing the DMK camp of deliberately reviving the Sanatan debate immediately after the elections to sharpen ideological fault lines in the state.

Supporters of Udhayanidhi, meanwhile, insist he was speaking against social discrimination and caste hierarchy rather than religion itself.

The controversy has once again pushed the Sanatan Dharma debate back to the centre of Tamil Nadu politics, and Udhayanidhi Stalin right back into the national spotlight.