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Instances When DMK Leaders Made Remarks Against North Indians

June 6, 2022
Vallavaraayan

Treading the path of its predecessor Dravidar Kazhagam, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam catapulted itself to power through the anti-Hindi agitations. While there was some merit to the agitations back in the 1960s when the then Congress government both at the Centre and State were inorginacally trying to make Hindi a link-language for the country, the DMK has always harped on to the anti-Hindi rhetoric time and again to inflame linguistic passions.

This attempt to exploit linguistic faultlines has today translated into a visceral hate towards north Indians.

Here are few instances in the recent past when DMK leaders made objectionable remarks against north Indians and Hindi speakers:

Incident 1 – DMK Health Minister Blames ‘North Indian’ Students For Rising COVID Cases

Recently, Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma. Subramanian blamed ‘north Indians’ for rising number of COVID-19 cases in the state.

“The disease has started increasing in educational institutions like VIT, Anna University and Sathya Sai. The reason for that is, in many states of India, the corona virus cases has not come under control, especially Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala where cases have been rising. When students from north India come into these educational institutions, the disease is spreading through them.”, the Health Minister said in a press meet on June 1, 2022 when new COVID-19 clusters were being reported in different colleges in Chennai.

“VIT Kelambakkam is an educational institution with 15,000 students. The number of 1st year students who stay in hostel is around 5600. Out of this 5600, 80% of them come from north India and stay here. They came to their hostel on May 12 and 13 and have been staying here since then. The disease has spread to other students through them and now stands at 118.”, Ma. Subramanian said.

Incident 2 – DMK Higher Education Minister Takes Jibe At Hindi Speakers As ‘Pani Poori Sellers’

Speaking at the convocation ceremony of Bharthiar Univeristy in Coimbatore on 13 May 2022, Tamil Nadu Higher Education Minister K. Ponmudy said that it is not necessary to learn Hindi as speakers of that language can be found selling only Pani Pooris.

In Tamil Nadu, there are two languages – English and Tamil. While English is an international language, Tamil is a local language. We were told that learning Hindi would fetch us jobs, did we get (jobs)? You go and see in our state, in Coimbatore, who sells pani puris? They are Hindi speakers,”, the DMK Minister said.

This is not the first time that Ponmudy took to ridicule Hindi speakers as ‘Pani Poori Sellers’.

“Many say that if you study Hindi, you will get a job. But, many are coming to work in Chennai from northern states. A few are selling pani puri here.”, Minister Ponmudy said while addressing members of the DMK Students Wing on 30 April 2022.

Incident 3 – DMK MP Calls North Indian States As ‘Cow Piss States’

DMK MP from Dharmapuri DNV Senthilkumar while speaking about the National Education Policy in Lok Sabha said, “The goal of the government in the National Education Policy is to have a Gross Enrollment ratio (GER) of 50%. This has already been achieved by Tamil Nadu. Whereas, India’s national GER is around 24.6%. We are much ahead of the American GER. Why is it that the Central Government is seeing to thrust the National Education Policy upon us? We have set principles and we have set models, the Dravidian principle models, which are successful models. If they want to implement it to make India a developed state, let them implement Tamil Nadu’s model throughout the state. Instead, why is it being thrust upon us? We totally reject it. If they want, they can go implement them in Gomutra states, which they are very keen upon.”

Incident 4 – DMK Finance Minister Insinuates ‘Lack Of Education’ As Reason For BJP’s Victories In The ‘Hindi Belt’

In an interview to Hindustan Times, Tamil Nadu Finance Minister PTR Palanivel Thiagarajan said that he can’t fathom how the BJP keeps getting re-elected in the ‘Hindi Belt’ and wondered if lack of education is the reason for it.

To a question by the anchor on BJP’s model of politics that couples welfare politics with Hindutva, the DMK Finance Minister said “It is hard for me to see how BJP governments keep getting re-elected both at the Union and in other parts in the Hindi belt. And some part of me wonders whether it is lack of education, the lack of kind of opportunity and therefore the lack of hope.”

Later when the anchor tried to  his position, Palanivel Thiagarajan tread cautiously saying that he cannot understand how in the Hindi belt “these guys” keep getting re-elected.

“I’m looking for explanations. I’m trying to find maybe one of the explanation is that the lowest income levels and the worst per capita education levels are highly correlated with this outcome. I don’t have any proof. I don’t have anything. I also said there is a second alternative. That as bad as their performance looks compared to me, it may be that they are the best of bad choices. I don’t know. I just don’t have data.”, the DMK Minister said.

The visceral hate of the DMK towards north Indians is spilling over to the larger society and impacting the lives of several people. Sometimes, poor migrant labourers from the north are thrashed by locals on baseless suspicions.

Just like how people from the south are branded and discriminated as ‘Madrasis’ in the north, those belonging to the north are being branded as ‘Vadakkans’ (northerners) or ‘Paani Poori walas’, thanks to the DMK and its afiiliates.

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