Hitting out at DMK leaders' remarks on Sanatan Dharma former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Jai Ram Thakur on Saturday said no power on earth can eradicate Sanatan Dharma and those who tried to finish it never succeeded.

The BJP leader's remarks come amid a political row after DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin blamed Sanatan Dharma for promoting division and discrimination among people and said it should be eradicated.

DMK leader A Raja likened Sanatan Dharma to diseases like leprosy and HIV which had social stigma, prompting the BJP to accuse opposition leaders of suffering from "deep-rooted Hinduphobia".

In a statement, Thakur said the "so-called" intellectuals and leaders of the INDIA alliance are supporting such remarks by remaining silent.

The Congress and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) among other opposition parties are constituents of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) that is preparing to take on the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance in 2024. Accusing the Congress and its associates of maligning Sanatan Dharma, Thakur said their mentality has been exposed.

Leaders of the INDIA bloc should stop their malicious propaganda against Sanatan Dharma, he said.

"Those trying to attack and malign Sanatan Dharma should know that such efforts have been made for the past 1,000 years, but never succeeded," he said and asked Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, a senior Congress leader, to clarify his stand on the issue.

"No power on the earth can eradicate Sanatan Dharma and the invaders who tried to finish Sanatan Dharma were finished themselves," Thakur said.

He also reminded that Sukhu had claimed that Congress won the assembly polls by defeating the BJP in the state where 97 per cent of the population is Hindu.

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