BJP slams DMK MP Maran for his 'Hindi speakers clean toilets in TN' remark
BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla slammed INDIA bloc leaders from the two states for not speaking against the DMK MP
Months after Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin made controversial remarks on Sanatana Dharma, DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran has now sparked a fresh row by stating that “Hindi speakers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar who come to Tamil Nadu end up doing construction work or cleaning roads and toilets”.
In a clip of the DMK MP’s remark that has gone viral, Maran compared people who learnt English and those who only learnt Hindi and said the former end up in IT companies while the latter do menial jobs. “This is what happens when one learns only Hindi,” he said.
Union Minister Giriraj Singh was quick to hit out at top Bihar leaders of INDIA alliance, as he tweeted, “Do Nitish Kumar and Lalu Yadav agree with their coalition partner’s opinion on Hindi-speaking people? They should clarify why DMK and INDIA bloc have so much hatred against Hindi-speaking people.”
BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla shared the clip and slammed INDIA bloc leaders from the two states for not speaking against the DMK MP. He accused the Opposition alliance of trying to divide the people of the country along the lines of caste, language and religion and condemned the alliance’s “inaction” against the DMK MP. “Once again an attempt to play the Divide and Rule card,” he wrote on X.
He lashed out at the leaders of the INDIA bloc from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar over Maran’s remark and questioned their silence. “Will Nitish Kumar, Tejashwi Yadav, Lalu Yadav, Congress, SP’s Akhilesh Yadav all pretend that this isn’t happening? When will they take a stand,” asked Poonawalla. He dubbed the language used by the DMK MP “unfortunate” and claimed that the remark was not a coincidence when the action of other leaders are considered.
Listing out previous such instances, Poonawalla said no action was initiated against another DMK MP, DNV Senthilkumar, who triggered a controversy after he made a remark against Hindi heartland states during the Winter Session of Parliament. He made the remark while saying the BJP cannot win in South Indian states after the party’s recent win in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.
Poonawalla also mentioned the remarks made by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin’s son Udhayanidhi Stalin who stirred a hornet’s nest when he compared Sanatana Dharma with dengue and malaria, stating it should not just be opposed, but “eradicated”.
DMK is part of the INDIA bloc -- the Opposition alliance which comprises JDU, RJD and Samajwadi Party-- the main political parties of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.