Chennai: After calling Hindu religion a menace for the entire world, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader and Nilgiris MP A Raja has allegedly claimed that India is not a nation.

While speaking at the event in Coimbatore organised to mark 71st birthday of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on March 3, Raja said that India is not a nation but a subcontinent. The DMK deputy general secretary said that for being a nation, it is necessary that the entire nation speaks one single language. 

Sharing the video on social media platform X, BJP IT Department head Amit Malviya accused the DMK leader of calling for “balkanisation of India”. “India is never a nation. One nation means one language, one tradition and one culture. Then only it is one nation. India is not a nation but a subcontinent. What’s the reason? Here, Tamil is one nation and one country. Malayalam is one language, one nation and one country. Oriya is a nation, a language and a country. All these nations make up India. So, India is not country it is a subcontinent,” said A Raja as per the translation by Malviya. 

"The hate speeches from DMK's stable continue unabated. After Udhayanidhi Stalin's call to annihilate Sanatan Dharma, it is now A Raja who calls for balkanisation of India, derides Bhagwan Ram, makes disparaging comments on Manipuris and questions the idea of India, as a nation," Malviya posted on X on Tuesday.

Malviya questioned why the members of the Opposition's INDI alliance are silent over the remarks of A Raja. "Congress and other INDI Alliance partners are quiet. Rahul Gandhi, their putative Prime Ministerial candidate's silence is eloquent," said Malviya. 

"If you say this is the God. If this is your Jai Sri Ram, if this is your Bharat Mata Ki Jai, we will never accept that Jai Sri Ram and Bharat Mata. Tamil Nadu won’t accept. You go and tell, we’re enemies of Ram," Raja later said. 

Hindu Seers on A Raja's Remarks 

On DMK leader A Raja's remarks on 'Jai Shri Ram' and the idea of India, Jagadguru Ramanujacharya said, “A Raja should also think that the entire world is 'Ram may'. If you don't believe in Ram or the country - who believes in you?" 

Ramanujacharya said that there seems to be a competition to make controversial statements. 'There is a tradition of Ravan in South India. Ravan used to see Lord Ram before him but used to say that he didn't believe in him. But scriptures say that Ravan too said "Ram" while breathing his last," he added. 

Head priest of Hanuman Garhi temple in Ayodhya, Ramesh Das, said that they will write to the prime minister and the president regarding this. “Whatever the DMK leader said is condemnable. The entire world is ‘Ram may’. We will write to the PM and the President about this,” Das said.