The North News
New Delhi, January 6
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has accused the Tamil Nadu government of showing bias against Sanatan Dharma, alleging a pattern of actions that he said reflected an “anti-Hindu mindset”.Speaking on Tuesday, Goyal said it was “not a coincidence” that M. K. Stalin, his son Udhayanidhi Stalin, and other senior leaders of the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) had, in his words, repeatedly criticised Sanatan Dharma.
He referred to remarks made by Udhayanidhi Stalin in September 2023, in which the DMK leader called for the eradication of Sanatan Dharma, describing them as “audacious and reprehensible”. The Union minister linked those remarks to subsequent events at Thiruparankundram Hill, a site associated with Lord Kartikeya (Bhagwan Murugan), where the traditional lighting of a ceremonial lamp was prevented for the first time, according to him. He said the practice was again not allowed on the 24th of the same month.
Goyal said devotees later approached the courts, and relief was granted when Justice Swaminathan, in a judgment delivered on 1 December 2025, permitted the continuation of the lamp-lighting tradition. However, he criticised the Tamil Nadu government for appealing against the court order, calling the move “extremely unfortunate”. He alleged that the appeal demonstrated bias against Hindu and Sanatan traditions, and accused the DMK and its allies in the opposition INDI bloc of harbouring hostility towards the Hindu religion. The Tamil Nadu government and the DMK have not responded to Goyal’s remarks at the time of publication.
