Clip of Udhayanidhi Stalin Talking About Being a Christian Viral Without Context

A longer version showed Stalin talking about belonging to all religions.

Fact-Check | This clip of Tamil Nadu Dy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin lacks proper context.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

A video of Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Udhayanidhi Stalin is being circulated on the internet with a claim that it shows him recently saying that he is a proud Christian.

What have users said?: A X (formerly Twitter) user shared the clip with a caption that said, ""I have said it before, saying it again that I'm a proud Christian - Udhaynidhi Stalin". There's nothing wrong in being proud of your religion but the question is. You have any right to abuse Hinduism?..."

An archive of the post can be found here.

(Source: X/Screenshot)

The post had received over 16 thousand views on the platform. You can view archives of similar claims here, here, and here.

What are the facts?: The viral claim lacks proper context. While Stalin did talk about being a Christian, he also identified as a Muslim and a Hindu. He said that he belongs to all the religions.

How did we find that out?: On conducting a keyword search on YouTube, we found a longer version of Stalin's speech available on the official channel of ABP Nadu.

• At the beginning of the clip, Stalin could be heard talking about the spirit of the Christmas festival. He mentioned that Christmas is a festival that makes everyone truly happy.

• He talked about studying in Don Bosco and at the Loyola College.

• At around the 1:11 timestamp, the deputy CM said, "A few people said that last year, during a Christmas celebration event that I participated in, I had mentioned that I am Christian. This angered a few Sanghis, and they questioned how I could say such a thing. I will proudly repeat myself here - Yes I am a Christian."

Stalin further said, "If you think of me as a Christian, I am a Christian; If you think of me as a Muslim, I'm a Muslim and if you think of me as a Hindu, then I'm a Hindu. That's because I belong to all religions, as the underlying message of all religions is love. All religions teach us to love everyone and be kind."

News report: An India Today report said that Stalin talking about him being a proud Christian, while emphasising on inclusivity across all faiths. It also carried excerpts from Stalin's speech, which corroborated our findings.

The report was published on 19 December 2024.

(Source: India Today/Screenshot)

Conclusion: It is clear that this clip of Stalin is being shared without providing proper context.

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