In another flare up of the North versus South debate, DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran has allegedly said that people of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh who learn only Hindi and come to Tamil Nadu indulge in construction activities and cleaning roads and toilets. The alleged remark has once again put the spotlight on the North vs South row that broke out soon after the Telangana Assembly election results earlier this month, in which Congress emerged victorious. The BJP has questioned Nitish Kumar, a partner in the I.N.D.I.A bloc in which DMK is also a participant, and asked if he approves of such statements.
The party also sought clarification from him on why DMK and the Opposition’s grand alliance have “hatred for Hindi-speaking” people from the North.
BJP attacks Nitish
“DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran says that Hindi-speaking people from UP/Bihar come to Tamil Nadu and clean roads and toilets. Does Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, and Lalu Yadav agree with their coalition partner's opinion on Hindi speaking people? They should clarify why DMK and INDI alliance has so much hatred for Hindi-speaking Bihari brothers and sisters?” Union Minister Giriraj Singh asked while sharing a video of the The DMK leader on X.
BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala also questioned Nitish Kumar, Lalu Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav (all of who are part of the major parties in Bihar and UP, also a part of the Opposition bloc) and asked if they would take a stand on the matter.
“Once again an attempt to play the Divide & Rule card. First Rahul Gandhi insulted North Indian voters. Then Revanth Reddy abused Bihar DNA. Then DMK MP Senthil Kumar said “Gaumutra states”. Now Dayanidhi Maran insults Hindi speakers and North. Abusing Hindus / Sanatan, then playing divide and rule card is DNA of INDI. Will Nitish Kumar, Tejaswi Yadav , Lalu Yadav, Congress, SP Akhilesh Yadav all pretend that this isn’t happening ? When will they take a stand?” the BJP leader posted on X.
It is an old video, says sources
According to the sources, the controversial video is 4 years old. In 2018-19, the DMK had organized a big rally demanding that the Railway recruitment examination should be written in Tamil and other regional languages also.
DMK had registered a one-sided victory in the state in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, after which, while addressing a program in Chennai, Maran once again taunted the Modi government at the Center by accusing it of imposing Hindi on non-Hindi speaking people and made the controversial remarks for the migrants from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
North-South debate
The debate began after the BJP swept Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh while the Congress stormed to power in Telangana. Comments were made differentiating the voting patterns in the Northern and the Southern states. The latest in the Hindi-non-Hindi debate occurred in the Delhi meeting of the Opposition when Nitish Kumar began to speak and DMK leader TR Baalu sought an English translation, to which the Bihar CM said, “We call our country Hindustan and Hindi is our national language. We should know the language”.
