'Udhayanidhi Stalin Should Be Removed Immediately': Piyush Goyal Amid 'Sanatan Dharma' Row

Last Updated:January 22, 2026, 10:40 IST

The minister’s comments come amid the Madurai Bench of the Madras HC observing that the deputy CM’s call to “eradicate” Sanatana Dharma carried an implication akin to genocide

Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal. (Image: PTI/File)

Union commerce minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday called for the removal of Tamil Nadu’s deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, under fire for his remarks on Sanatan Dharma, for “dividing the people" of the state.

Addressing a press conference after a meeting with NDA ally and AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, Goyal said: “We totally oppose Udhayanidhi Stalin for his anti-national comments. The high court has also passed orders against his hate speech. I demand that Udhayanidhi be immediately removed from the government for dividing the people of Tamil Nadu."

The minister’s comments come amid the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court recently observing that the deputy chief minister’s call to “eradicate" Sanatana Dharma carried an implication akin to genocide.

“If a group of people following Sanatana Dharma should not be there, then the appropriate word is “genocide". If Sanatana Dharma is a religion then it is “Religicide". It also means to eradicate the people by following any methods or various methods with diverse attacks on ecocide, factocide, culturicide (cultural genocide). Therefore, the Tamil phrase “Sanathana Ozhippu" would clearly mean genocide or culturicide," Bar and Bench said, quoting the court as saying.

News politics 'Udhayanidhi Stalin Should Be Removed Immediately': Piyush Goyal Amid 'Sanatan Dharma' Row

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