Until September 2023, Udhayanidhi Stalin, the newly appointed deputy chief minister of Tamil Nadu, was little known north of the Vindhyas, aside from his recognition as the son of Chief Minister Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin.
That changed with a single remark about Sanatana Dharma — to “eradicate” it — on September 2 last year, which thrust the 46-year-old into the national political limelight. The comment sparked a political firestorm that even drew in Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
As the BJP turned its guns on Udhayanidhi, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s (DMK)’s rising star later clarified