CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Friday condemned Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that he claimed, “DMK members harassed workers from Bihar in Tamil Nadu,” and urged him to stop engaging in “cheap politics” by targeting Tamils and expressing hostility towards them in poll-bound states.
Sharing a short video clip of Modi’s speech, Stalin criticised what he described as a “vengeful remark targeting Tamils for the sake of electoral politics”.
The Bihar State Assembly elections are scheduled to take place in November.
The exact venue and date of Modi’s address, highlighted by the Chief Minister in his social media post, could not be immediately confirmed.
Tagging the video clip, Stalin stated that he strongly condemned the BJP for showing “malice” towards the Tamil people in the pursuit of electoral gains in poll-bound states, possibly Odisha or Bihar.
In the 10-second video clip, Modi allegedly said that hardworking Bihari workers were harassed in Tamil Nadu by members of the DMK.
The Chief Minister urged the BJP and Prime Minister Modi to “give up engaging in cheap politics” that seeks to create division between communities, including Tamils and Biharis.
Instead, he insisted, the Prime Minister and the BJP should focus on the nation’s welfare.
Stalin, who is also the DMK chief, said that PM Modi should not undermine the dignity of his office by making such remarks, often appearing to forget that he serves as the Prime Minister for all the people of the country.
DMK is only against Hindi imposition, not Hindi speaking people: RS Bharathi
DMK MP Kanimozhi, in her social media post, said, “Over the past four years, only one person from Bihar is suffering in Tamil Nadu because of his inability to do politics. He lives in Raj Bhavan,” she said, indirectly referring to Governor RN Ravi.
She further wrote, “The workers from Bihar know who puts them through hardships by making them walk during Covid pandemic and they also know how Tamil Nadu helped them. If Modi repeats the same remarks when he comes to TN next year for election campaign, Tamil people and the migrant workers will explain to him how the state takes care of them.”
DMK MP Dhayanidhi Maran said the NDA’s election manifesto for Bihar invalidates Modi’s remarks against Tamil people as most of the promises made by the JD(U) and BJP are a copy of the social welfare initiatives implemented by the DMK in Tamil Nadu.
Talking to reporters, DMK organisation secretary RS Bharathi said, “DMK is only opposed to Hindi imposition not to Hindi language and Hindi speaking people. In Chennai, 30% to 40% people are from other states and are wealthy. Migrant workers also live comfortably without any worries.”
CPI (M) state secretary P Shanmugam and Tamilaga Valvurimai Katchi (TVK) T Velmurugan also condemned the PM’s remarks. Shanmugam said, “The PM who pretends to show affection towards TN and its people whenever it suits him politically, maligns TN and spreads hatred against Tamils during campaigns in other parts of the country”. Velmurugan dismissed the PM’s comments as “baseless and politically motivated.”
BJP state president Nainar Nagenthran on Friday, however, said that the PM had only referred to DMK leaders’ earlier remarks about people from Bihar and he did not speak against the people of Tamil Nadu as a whole, as alleged by the DMK.
Speaking to reporters in Tirunelveli, Nagenthran alleged that it was the CM who had earlier made a derogatory remark on Biharis. BJP’s former chief K Annamalai said the CM’s accusations against the PM are an attempt to divert attention from the cash-for-job scam.
