News Tamil Nadu

#GoBackStalin Trends Ahead Of Stalin’s Bihar Visit, DMK Leaders Peddling Hate Speech Against North Indians Comes To The Fore

June 22, 2023
The Commune

The Twitterverse has been buzzing with the hashtag #GoBackStalin following the announcement of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin’s participation in an upcoming opposition parties meeting in Bihar’s Patna on Friday, 23 June 2023.

The opposition parties meeting, convened by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, aims to mobilize opposition forces against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Originally scheduled for 12 June, the meeting seeks to lay the groundwork for a united front of like-minded opposition parties against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the central government. Prominent leaders such as Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, and TMC Chief Mamata Banerjee are expected to attend the meeting.

As soon as Stalin’s Bihar visit hit the news, many north Indians particularly those from Bihar started trending the hashtag #GoBackStalin.

As of Thursday, 22 June 2023, the hashtag has gained significant traction, highlighting public opposition to Stalin’s visit.

 

 

In what seems to have originated in Bihar, this trending hashtag reflects the displeasure of internet users towards MK Stalin’s scheduled appearance, mainly due to the DMK often derogating those from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The arrest and detention of Manish Kashyap under the National Security Act (NSA) has also added fuel to the fire. Manish Kashyap, a Bihar-based YouTuber, was arrested in Tamil Nadu on allegations of spreading fake news through videos on his channel. He faced charges related to the purported circulation of visuals depicting attacks on Bihari migrant workers in Tamil Nadu.

The arrest of Manish Kashyap prompted widespread debate and disagreement. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin had previously denied allegations of harassment against migrant workers in the state. The incident remains under investigation, and the resentment towards Stalin’s visit stems from the perception that a wrong has been done to Manish Kashyap. A Twitter page called EWS Community has announced a vigorous protest, led by Ashutosh Kumar, in every district of Bihar, particularly in Patna, on the same day.

The DMK and other Dravidian Stockists often peddle that north Indians from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are stealing jobs of Tamil Nadu and are often derogated as ‘Vadakkans’, ‘Panipuri Vaayan’, ‘Beeda Vaayan’, etc.

Ironically, the DMK and its members who have been accused of harbouring anti-Bihar/anti-Hindi sentiments, is now getting a taste of its own medicine as their leader MK Stalin, heads to Bihar for the opposition parties meeting.

DMK Ministers, including EV Velu, Ponmudi, KN Nehru and TRB Rajaa, have been accused of consistently making derogatory remarks against Hindi speakers and Biharis. Several tweets exemplifying this sentiment have surfaced on social media, highlighting the perceived hypocrisy of DMK’s presence at the Bihar gathering.

Here are a few examples:

TRB Rajaa, the IT Wing Secretary of the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) govt, who is also the Minister of Industries, Tamil Nadu, has a history of abusing Hindus and Hindi-speaking north Indians.

Read more about how TRB Rajaa abused Hindu BJP supporters here.

As the controversy surrounding MK Stalin’s Bihar visit intensifies, it remains to be seen how this public sentiment will impact the Chief Minister’s reception and the opposition parties meeting agenda.

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