Daijiworld Media Network - Chennai

Chennai, Oct 2: Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin strongly criticised the Central government on Thursday for releasing a commemorative Rs 100 coin and postage stamp marking 100 years of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), calling the gesture an affront to India’s secular values and a dishonour to Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy.

Speaking after paying floral tributes to Gandhi on his birth anniversary, Stalin said it was “deeply concerning” that the country was now “celebrating an organisation which shaped the thinking of a communal element who assassinated the Father of the Nation.”

His sharp remarks came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially unveiled the coin and stamp in recognition of the RSS centenary. The coin features an image of Bharat Mata with a lion and members of the RSS offering obeisance — a design that Stalin called a “distortion of India’s soul.”

In a post on X, Stalin underscored India’s founding as a secular republic guided by Gandhi’s moral and political vision. “He is the power that will always provide us strength to face the seeds of hatred among the people and the divisive forces whenever they arise,” he wrote.

He called for citizens to renew their commitment to the Mahatma’s ideals, warning that India needs to be "rescued" from its current political direction. “It is pitiful that the country’s leadership is officially honouring the centenary of an organisation that inspired Gandhi’s assassin,” Stalin said.

The DMK leader’s statement marked one of the strongest reactions from the opposition to the Modi government’s move, amid ongoing criticism that the RSS — seen as the ideological backbone of the ruling BJP — is being elevated into national mainstream while sidelining Gandhi’s vision of an inclusive, secular India.