Claim
A. Raja (DMK) said Hinduism is a danger to the world and compared it to HIV and leprosy.
“ए राजा ने बोला हिंदू धर्म दुनिया के लिए खतरा है। यह एचआईवी और कुष्ट रोग जैसा है।”▶ Watch source segment
Rationale
A. Raja (DMK MP) did make these remarks: multiple independent reports and a widely circulated video from September 2023 show him calling Hindu religion / Sanatana Dharma a menace to India and the entire world and explicitly comparing it to HIV and leprosy as a socially disgraceful disease. The anchor's Hindi paraphrase faithfully captures the substance. Minor caveats: Raja framed his comparison around 'Sanatana Dharma' (the DMK's target on caste grounds), used somewhat interchangeably with 'Hindu religion' in reporting, and the statements date to September 2023, nearly three years before this broadcast—so they are old, not new. But the core attribution and the HIV/leprosy comparison are accurate.
Evidence
- https://www.theweek.in/news/india/2023/09/12/hindu-religion-a-menace-for-entire-world-dmks-a-raja-heard-saying-in-video.html The Week reports a surfaced video of DMK MP A. Raja saying Hindu religion is a menace for India and the entire world, tying it to the caste system. ✓ reachable · archived
- https://www.theweek.in/news/india/2023/09/07/dmks-a-raja-stokes-another-row-by-comparing-sanatan-dharma-with-hiv-leprosy.html The Week reports A. Raja explicitly comparing Sanatana Dharma to HIV and leprosy, saying it should be seen as a disease that is a social disgrace. ✓ reachable · archived
- https://thecommunemag.com/sanatana-dharma-is-like-leprosy-and-hiv-aids-for-us-dmk-mp-a-raja-says/ Quotes Raja distinguishing malaria/dengue (no social stigma) from leprosy and HIV, which carry disgrace, and applying that latter comparison to Sanatana Dharma. ✓ reachable · archived
- https://organiser.org/2023/09/13/195620/bharat/tamil-nadu-hinduism-is-a-menace-and-threat-to-the-entire-world-dmk-leader-a-raja-stokes-controversy/ Reports the 'Hinduism is a menace and threat to the entire world' remark attributed to A. Raja. ✓ reachable · archived