In light of alleged attacks on North Indian labourers, Puthiya Tamizhagam President Dr. Krishnasamy advised Tamil Nadu youth to upskill their talents and avoid falling into the trap of Dravidian Stockists inciting hatred against migrant workers.
Dr Krishnasamy in his Facebook post said, “A lot of malicious propaganda has been going on in Tamil Nadu through some YouTube channels for the last couple of months regarding the arrival of workers from northern states to Tamil Nadu. Instead of calling them ‘workers’, they belittled them by calling them as ‘Vadakkans’. They shared on social media that tens of thousands of North Indians arrive every day at Chennai Central, Erode, Coimbatore, and Tirupur railway stations. Multilingual and multi-ethnic people are already working and living in India, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, from the Gulf of Kutch to the North-Eastern states.”
He added, “The Tamil population in Delhi alone exceeds 15 lakhs, and several lakhs live in Mumbai, including Dharavi. Many cities have a large Tamil population, including Bangalore, Calcutta, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Nagpur, Pune, Kashi, and Thiruvananthapuram. Similarly, people from other states including Rajasthan, Gujarat, West Bengal, and Bihar have migrated and have been living in the cities like Coimbatore, Chennai, Madurai, Tirupur for centuries. Everyone is aware of Madurai’s large Saurashtra population. For centuries, a significant number of Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and other language speakers have lived in many Tamil Nadu cities.”
He further said, “Tamils work across several countries including Sri Lanka, Burma, Fiji, Malaysia, Singapore and South Africa. Following the escalation of the Tamil-Sinhalese conflict in 1984, an estimated 15 to 25 lakh Sri Lankan Tamils migrated to various countries around the world. As birds and animals migrate from their natural habitats in search of food and water, humans have either temporarily or permanently migrated. This is history.”
He went on to say, “Sea voyages, industrial developments, wars, and other factors changed the borders of various countries after the 15th century. Many nations vanished during World Wars I and II, and new nations emerged. Millions of people have fled their proud homelands to seek refuge in other countries as a result of wars in Tunisia, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Syria, and Palestine, as well as the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. The British Empire was once made up entirely of Christians. However, as a result of the wars in Europe and Asia, countries such as England became safe havens for those fleeing those regions. England, which was once entirely Christian, has become a haven for Muslims, with more than ten mayors elected.”
He stated, “Millions of Mexicans migrate to the United States. During Donald Trump’s presidency, he decided to construct a massive wall between Mexico and the United States. Their arrival, however, could not be avoided. Despite recent progress in various fields, 5-10 lakh people migrate to countries such as England, Germany, France, Australia, Japan, Canada, and others each year, giving up their Indian citizenship. No action has been taken to investigate the “unprecedented migration situation among the people in recent times” by world leaders, the UN, or economic geniuses worthy of the Nobel Prize, which has shied away from its duty.”
He further stated, “Therefore, as a part of the global migration, there is now an influx of poor laborers from many states to Tamil Nadu. Nowadays, there is no need for demonstrations, protests, courting arrest, but starting a YouTube channel with a few thousand rupees and posting a sensational news story can make you famous. In an environment where the wealthy can get away, these YouTube channels use sensational videos to vilify workers who migrate for a living. Thousands of young people from Rajasthan, West Bengal, and Bihar are arriving in Tamil Nadu at the Chennai Central and Coimbatore Railway Stations. However, thousands of Tamil Nadu graduates are migrating to western countries for further studies/employment through the American and British embassies in Chennai. Do Tamil Nadu youth migrate for a better life or for subsistence? Why is this migration of Tamils invisible to those who oppose the entry of North Indian workers into Tamil Nadu?”
He stated, “Why do Tamil Nadu people who boast themselves of Chozha, Chera, and Pandya ancestry migrate to foreign countries such as Singapore and America instead of enriching this Tamil Nadu through their studies? Why are these D Stockists and Tamil nationalists acting as if they are unaware of this?”
He also stated that the contributions, sacrifices, and hardships of North Indian workers who worked on Metro rail, large real estate buildings, and other flyovers in Tamil Nadu are not being recognized to the extent that they should be.
He further said, “Until about 10-15 years ago, Tirupur’s textile industry was the main source of employment for young people in the southern districts. Their numbers have now significantly decreased. Why did Tamil Nadu’s youth give up that position? Manufacturers who are compelled to send their products abroad at a fixed time hire workers from other states to complete the work. In Tamil Nadu, there is no labour available for agricultural or normal construction work. In a situation where all industries could be crippled due to a lack of skilled labour, people from north Indian states travel to Tamil Nadu to fill those gaps.”
He went on to say that because North Indian states lack good educational institutions like Tamil Nadu, the education of North Indian youths is poor, and as a result, they do carpentry, electrical, plumbing, wiring work, construction work, and tiling work in our state.
He also chastised Tamil Nadu youth, claiming that despite holding postgraduate degrees, they lack the skills that industries require. He also stated that, despite the fact that real estate owners are willing to pay up to 1000 rupees, they are unable to find construction workers in Tamil Nadu.
He went on to say that lack of skills is the most pressing issue confronting Tamil Nadu’s youth today, and that this is due to the vicious anti-skilling propaganda in the state. He went on to say that educational institutes in Tamil Nadu produce graduates who lack skill, and that this has been the case since 1967 (year when DMK formed government in Tamil Nadu).
He further stated, “When Rajaji was Chief Minister in 1952, he wanted youth to get both education and skills. However, Dravida leaders misled Tamil Nadu people by saying that Rajaji wanted a barber’s son become a barber and a washerman’s son become a washerman. It was not what Rajaji said. This Dravidar Kazhagam’s false propaganda uprooted the basic industries in Tamil Nadu as there was no one with those skills to work in those industries.”
He added, “No other country in the world has run campaigns disparaging life skills. Many generations of Tamil Nadu youths have been transformed into groups of job seekers with no skills and only paper degrees in hand by Dravidam. In this case, what is the point of abusing the North Indian migrant workers who come here to work as ‘Vadakkans’. If this situation continues, the day is not far when the youth of Tamil Nadu will wander in search of work in their own land. Any life can only exist if it possesses some special ability. However, in Tamil Nadu, the politics of useless boasting and looking down on skilling has been going on for the last 60 years. Any company will consider the skills of the applicant rather than the country, state, or district from which he is applying. Tamil Nadu’s youth are not prepared to face this reality.”
He further said, “However, we must consider the differential treatment in which some large companies, such as Coastal Energen in Thoothukudi district, hire workers from other states for upper level jobs and local Tamil workers for lower level jobs. Is it enough just to question what will happen to Tamil Nadu’s youth and women if lakhs of North Indians enter the state? Can we achieve anything by simply spewing hatred against other migrants? Are we ready to rise to the top in this competitive world?”
He went on to say, “For the last sixty years, Dravidians have created a deep divide among Tamil Nadu’s people by proclaiming, “North is flourishing, South is eroding,” and have sowed hatred and gained political advantage by spreading this hatred. This hatred spread by Dravidam still persists. The ‘Separate Nation’ slogan that was raised then and the Tamil Nationalism slogan that is being sown today is what has set the stage against the workers of the northern states today. Tamil Nadu’s youth are not ready to prepare themselves to be qualified for jobs that may be available in Tamil Nadu. Furthermore, they are not in the mood to accept someone else to come in and do their work.”
He questioned, “Did the DMK government miss the hate speeches of Ministers, coalition parties, and YouTubers who have been campaigning against northern state workers for months?”
He also cited instances in which DMK ministers, including Chief Minister MK Stalin, Minister Ponmudi, KN Nehru, Moorthy, Dayanithi Maran, RS Bharathi, and others, spewed hatred on North Indians by claiming that North Indians steal Tamil jobs and using slurs such as ‘Vadakkans,’ ‘Paani Puri Vaayans,’ and ‘Panparak Vaayans’. Why are they not condemned? Why are cases not registered against them?, he asked.
He added, “Now that the situation has gotten out of hand, the DMK government is being forced to issue a communique in Hindi. Racist remarks by Dravidian Stockists, as well as the use of the term “Ondriya Arasu” by the DMK, its alliance partners, and supporting YouTube channels, are to blame for the recent hate campaign against workers from other states.”
He went on to say that the DMK administration has “double standards” in this matter, as it internally enjoys hatred for north Indians on one hand while issuing communiques to appease them on the other. Everyone expects Tamil youth to avoid falling into the trap of Dravidam, which incites a “North – South” divide. He added that Tamil Nadu youth do not realise that Dravidianism is destroying the identity of the Tamil language and Tamils.
He added, “Tamils should remember that Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal have more eternal life rivers than Tamil Nadu. The northern states’ development has been hampered by previous wars and natural disasters. Even if we do do not accept those who come to improve our industry as guests, we do not regard them as enemies!”
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Pinarayi Vijayan’s Attack On Media And The Stoic Silence Of The Leftist Coterie
Kerala High Court has directed the State police chief to provide adequate police protection to the offices of Asianet News if they make a complaint seeking police protection from the violent protests. The court issued the directive after the channel submitted that they were facing threats from SFI and DYFI workers, the student’s wing and the youth wing of the CPI(M). Police in Kerala carried out searches at the Kozhikode office of Asianet News in connection with a case registered over a report featuring a minor girl. No device or document was seized. The action came just days after Kerala SFI activists allegedly barged into the channel’s Kochi office over a report, aired last year. Following the events, the court in its part acknowledged the fact that the issue has attained ‘political colours’ and possibility of further violent protests. It was once said by Chairman Mao that “all political powers come from the barrel of a gun” and in case of communist dispensation of Kerala, the CM and his cronies is using the brute force of party cadres and police units to solidify their political power.
The Incident
The interesting question is that why Asianet channel has invited ire of communists in the state? At the centre of the controversy is a roving report series “Narcotic is a dirty business’’ which the channel had telecast in November last year, as part of its campaign against drug menace in the state. On November 10, the channel telecast an interview of a 14-year-old school girl from Kannur, who was allegedly abused after being forced to use synthetic drugs. The girl had told the channel that more than 10 girls were trapped by the drug mafia. The show, which features in-depth ground reports themed on one issue in each episode, had focussed on synthetic drug abuse among school and college students in Kerala. The report was by senior correspondent Naufal Bin Yusaf, whose investigative pieces have often irked CPM’s cadres in Kannur.
The show on November 10 had come on the heels of an anti-drug campaign across schools endorsed by excise minister MB Rajesh. It alleged that students were deployed as drug mules in the district and many of them were also sexually harassed. The report by the channel also revealed alleged connection of party members in trade and facilitation of such illicit activities in the state. But the truth is that the party has a running feud with the channel. Its news anchor Vinu V John is facing a case after CPI(M) Rajyasabha member Elamaram Kareem complained against Vinu V John last year after the former was provoked over a news hour discussion against the hardships caused to people by a Baharat bandh called by trade unions last year.
The party has also taken a hard stance against the channel much prior to the raid. Earlier, CPI(M) had announced that party representatives would not take part in the debates aired by Asianet. While legislators, political parties, and journalists’ unions have condemned the incident and termed it an attack on the media, the CPM’s leadership is silent. Even the party’s general secretary Sitaram Yechury, who had hit out at the Narendra Modi government on the same day the income tax department searched the BBC India’s offices last month is silent. His party politburo, which was quick to release a statement on BBC titled ‘intimidating media’ has its mouth zipped.
The Rot Within
Kerala is known for a relatively better democratic political culture. The state also boasts of high achievements in terms of Sustainable Development Goals. It has high literacy, and a relatively better life expectancy than many other states in India. The same is true of its per capita income. However, there are disturbing tendencies in the state. Latest data shows that the police registered 26,629 cases under the Narcotic Drugs Psychotropic Substance (NDPS) Act in 2022. This is 300% more than the 5,924 cases in 2016 and 188% higher than the pre-Covid year cases. Kerala also has the highest per capita consumption of alcohol in India, over 8 litres. A significant part of the daily wage of workers is spent on alcohol, one of the major sources of revenue for the government. Despite high literacy and an active democratic political culture, there is also a growing tendency of political intolerance and political violence in Kerala. Though the media is relatively robust and free, questions about media ethics and press freedom are increasingly being asked. At the same time, there is also a growing tendency of intolerance towards journalists critical of those in power. The invisible rot in Kerala society is spreading while the ruling dispensation encashes the state for their own personal benefits.
Mao Of The South
The ‘Asianet incident’ is not a standalone one, it only adds another chapter to the long story of autocratic behaviour by the Kerala CM and Pinarayi Vijayan government. Media professionals in Kerala see Pinarayi Vijayan as a leader with a dislike, or even contempt, for the media. With little shift in this perception after the leader’s appointment as the chief minister. In 2016, contrary to the practice of holding press conferences after Cabinet meetings, Vijayan dropped interactions with the media and started issuing press releases. In 2017, when journalists went to cover a “meeting” at a hotel in Thiruvananthapuram, they were ousted as the chief minister yelled “kadakku purath” (Get out). It was a closed-door meeting with RSS leaders reportedly mediated by Yoga Practitioner Sri M. In 2020, the Chief Minister’s amendment to the Kerala Police Act, aimed at preventing cyberattacks against women, was seen as a bid to curtail media freedom. It sought to introduce a new provision to criminalise defamatory content but was rolled back following outrage by the opposition and civil society.
These incidents are on top of already existing restriction on press from covering proceedings in the assembly. The incident clearly reveals that Kerala CM has often demonstrated his Maoist behaviour in countering the media. The Vijayan government is not receiving a good coverage by the press, back to back high profile allegations linking personal secretaries of CM himself are doing the rounds in news circles rocking the confidence of ruling left. In desperation the CM is lashing out at media, dissent is the cornerstone of a democratic society and CM as a democratically elected leader must accept it.
By allowing his henchmen to catch the media by throat, Pinarayi Vijayan has once again proved that he is a true Communist!
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