“Another Drama From DMK’s Toolkit?”: Unravelling The Truth About CM Stalin Allotting House To Muslim boy’s family

A few days ago a clip of a school kid talking about ‘humanity’ went viral on social media. The clip is part of a vox pop video released by a YouTube channel where the anchor asks the question “Whom do you hate the most?”.

The reply to this question by this school kid who was later identified as ‘Abdul Kalam had received social media attention. The kid said “Do not hate anyone. Many people call me as ‘palla’ (the guy with the teeth). Why should I hate them? Everybody are like friends to me. Why should we be divided?”.

The anchor when he probes further, the boy says that one should empathize with people who are of bad influence and not be judgemental about them.

This clip had gone viral on social media with DMK MLA from Mannargudi and the party’s newly inducted IT wing head TRB Rajaa, the son of DMK MP T.R Baalu.

What was a casual harmless vox pop was given a communal colour by DMK MLA TRB Rajaa who identified the boy to be the son of a Muslim studying in a Christian school. One wonders how the DMK IT Wing head knew about the background of the child just a day after the video went viral. Or was it made viral by the DMK IT wing head himself?

On the same day TRB Rajaa had shared the vox pop video clip on his profile, Galatta Voice, a YouTube channel that is considered to peddle narratives favourable to the ruling DMK released a video which shows the boy’s school – St. Lazarus Middle School located in Madha Church Road in R.A. Puram area of Chennai). The correspondent of the school seated along with the nun and the boy talk about the value system they inculcate in their school. Is this is to counter the narrative set by the BJP against the Lavanya suicide case? We don’t know.

In another video released by Behindwoods, the boy’s mother says that her family is being asked to vacate their home where they’re currently staying. She said that the boy becoming a overnight sensation could be a reason for that. Soon, oOther YouTube channels like IBC Tamil, India Glitz, etc., who tow the line of the DMK too jumped the bandwagon in building the narrative around this boy and his family.

Following this, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister on February 24 met the boy and his family on Februray 24.

DMK IT Wing head TRB Rajaa is believed to have facilitated this visit.

The next day on February 25, School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi while participating at the 125th anniversary celebrations of St. Anthony’s Girls’ High School in Chennai presented a check for ₹25,000 as scholarship to  Abdul Kalam.

Following this, CM Stalin announced that he has issued an order allocating a house to the boy’s family at the Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board in K.K. Nagar, Chennai.

However, it is to be noted that the allotted house was constructed under the Pradha Matri Awas Yojana (Housing For All – Urban), a flagship initiative of Government of India to provide housing for the urban poor.

What is even more surprising is that the house had reportedly been allocated under PM Awas Yojana in the September of last year itself.

Many on social media pointed how the sequence of events is very similar to the episode of a Narikuravar woman who alleged that she was denied food in temple. Like how Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi sat with the boy, HR&CE Minister S culminated in CM Stalin visiting her house and giving the community pattas and ration cards. This episode came in the backdrop of the release of Suriya-starrer Jai Bhim.

Was the kid Abdul Kalam part of yet another toolkit of DMK?

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