New Delhi | Congress leader Karan Singh on Monday strongly objected to DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin's comments calling for the "eradication of Sanatana Dharma" saying that it is "most unfortunate and totally unacceptable".

Terming the comments preposterous, Karan Singh said that crores of people in India "follow a lesser or greater extent the tenets of Sanatan Dharma".

"Thiru Udhayanidhi's preposterous statement that Sanatan Dharma should be eradicated is most unfortunate. Crores of people in this country follow, to a lesser or greater extent the tenets of Sanatan Dharma. Besides, the greatest Sanatan Dharma temples in the world are in Tamil Nadu in Thanjavur, in Srirangam, in Thiruvannamalai, in Chidambaram, in Madurai, in Suchindram, in Rameshwaram and many more," Karan Singh said in a statement.

"It is shocking that a responsible politician should make this kind of a totally unacceptable statement. I have the highest regard for the magnificent Tamil culture but I take strong objection to the statement made by Thiru Udhayanidhi," he added.

Railing against Sanatan Dharma at a conference in Chennai on Saturday, Udhayanidhi said, "Few things cannot be opposed, they should only be abolished. We can't oppose Dengue, mosquitoes, Malaria, or Corona, we have to eradicate them. In the same way, we have to eradicate Sanatana (Sanatan Dharma). Rather than merely opposing Sanatana, it should be eradicated."

Reacting sharply to Udhayanidhi's comments, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said that Congress and Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc leaders should apologise over the remarks made by DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin on Sanatan Dharma.

Flagging off the BJP's 'Parivartan Sankalp Yatra' from Ramdevara in Jaisalmer, Rajanth Singh said, " Congress ally DMK is insulting Sanatan Dharma. They say that Sanatan Dharma should be abolished. Allies of the INDIA coalition have kept silent on this. Why Gehlot ji is silent, and Sonia ji silent? Congress and INDIA should apologize."

Many BJP leaders including Amit Shah have reacted sharply to the Udhayanidhi's statements.