News Tamil Nadu

I.N.D.I. Ally DMK Gives MP Ticket To Dayanidhi Maran Who Called ‘North Indians’ As ‘Toilet Cleaners’ And DMK MP A. Raja Who Made Anti-Hindu And Anti-India Remarks

March 20, 2024
The Commune

On 20 March 2024, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagham (DMK) revealed its first list of candidates contesting for various constituencies in Tamil Nadu along with electoral manifesto for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The announcement took place at the party’s headquarters, Arivalayam, in Chennai, with the party president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, MK Stalin, presiding over the event. The 2024 Lok Sabha elections for Tamil Nadu are slated for 19 April 2024.

  1. Kalanidhi Veerasami – North Chennai
  2. Tamilachi Thangapandian – South Chennai
  3. Dayanidhi Maran – Central Chennai
  4. T R Balu – Sriperumbatur
  5. Kanimozhi – Thoothukudi
  6. S Jagathrachahan –  Arakonam
  7. Kadhir Anand – Vellore
  8. C N Annadurai – Thiruvanamalai
  9. Taranivedan – Aarani
  10. T M Selva ganapathi – Selam
  11. K E Prakash- Erode
  12. A Raja – Niligiri
  13. Arun Nehru – Perambalur
  14. Murasoli – Tanjavur
  15. Thanga Tamil Selvam – Theni
  16. Rani Sreekumar – Thenkasi
  17. A Mani – Dharmapuri
  18. Ganapathi P Rajkumar – Coimbatore
  19. K Selvam – Kanchipuram
  20. D Malayarasan – Kallakurichi
  21. K Ishwarasamy – Pollachi

The proposed list of contestants raised eyebrows as DMK has given an LS ticket once again to the likes of Dayanidhi Maran and A Raja. Maran had previously made derogatory remarks about North Indians, labeling them as ‘toilet cleaners’, and also made casteist comments against Scheduled Castes. Nilgiris DMK MP A Raja is known for his controversial anti-Hindu and anti-India statements. Despite the DMK’s 2024 Election Manifesto stating that it would implement the 33% reservations for women in both education and employment sectors, it was surprising that this commitment was not reflected in the allocation of MP tickets, with only a mere 15% being reserved for women candidates.

Dayanidhi Maran

Dayanidhi Maran, a prominent figure within the DMK family, is the son of former Union Minister Murasoli Maran and the grandnephew of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi. He is also the founder and chairman of the Sun Group. Concerning his candidacy for the MP ticket in 2024, aside from the familial connections within the nepotistic DMK, two notable incidents are to be noted. First instance, he made disparaging remarks about Hindi speakers, implying that they are only fit for menial jobs such as construction work and toilet cleaning. In another instance, he made casteist remarks by expressing a sense of entitlement akin to a ruling class, stating, “They treated us like third-class people. What are we? Depressed class people?” Additionally, he also made derogatory comments about the profession of barbers.

Remarks On Hindi Speakers

Dayanidhi Maran was seen making derogatory remarks about Hindi speakers on DMK stage. He implied that those who learn Hindi end up as construction workers or toilet cleaners in Tamil Nadu, contrasting them with Tamilians who hold high-level positions in the IT sector without knowing Hindi. He said, “We asked you to study Tamil and English. You studied. Look at Sundar Pichai, he is now the CEO of Google. He would have been a construction worker if he had studied Hindi. Our children hold high-level positions in IT firms and earn a good living. Look at those who studied Hindi. They work as construction workers and clean toilets.”

In another instance, he referred to north Indians and Hindi speakers as ‘idiots’ who would vote for the BJP.

Maran’s comments sparked widespread condemnation, including from Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, who criticized the disparaging remarks and stressed the importance of respecting people from different parts of the country. Former Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad also challenged Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over Maran’s statement, calling for an end to disrespect towards Bihar’s people.

Feudal Mindset

When DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran along with TR Baalu,  Tamizhachi Thangapandian and Kalanidhi Veerasamy, met with the Chief Secretary to submit petitions gathered under the DMK’s campaign “Ondrinaivom Vaa.” Immediately there were commotions as the MPs claimed that the Chief Secretary did not receive them properly and had insulted them.

For that Dayanidhi Maran expressed their dissatisfaction, stating, “They treated us like third-class people. What are we? Depressed class people?” This remark drew strong criticism from political parties, citizens, and activists in Tamil Nadu. Consequently, prompted the National Commission for Scheduled Caste to take Suo-Moto Cognizance notice of Dayanidhi Maran’s statement.

On another instance  when he was participating at an event distributing relief measures for people affected in Michuang cyclone in his constituency, one of reporters asked him “Old videos of important DMK leaders are being trended. Even one of your videos is trending” to which the DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran replied “There is a saying –  Jobless barbers catch hold of cats to shave its furs. Likewise they want to create some ruckus.”

A Raja

Andimuthu Raja, a member of Parliament representing the DMK and serving as the deputy general secretary for the party, gained notoriety in the 2G spectrum scandal where he was a co-accused alongside two other DMK members, Dayanidhi Maran and Kanimozhi. It was surprising to witness Raja being awarded an MP ticket considering his involvement in corruption case audio tapes was released, as well as his history of making inflammatory remarks against Hinduism and promoting separatist and anti-India sentiments.

Hinduphobic Remarks

Recently during a public gathering on 3 March 2024, at Coimbatore A Raja, delivered a speech characterized by abusive language and controversial statements targeted at Hindu beliefs. A Raja stated “If this is your Jai Sri Ram, if this is your Bharat Mata Ki Jai, we will never accept that Jai Sri Ram and Bharat Mata. Tamil Nadu won’t accept. You go and tell, we’re enemies of Ram.“ Later, he recounted the tale Kamba Ramayana and affirmed that “I don’t have faith on Ramayana, and Lord Ram“.

During another occasion in September 2022, while addressing a gathering convened to honor the six-decade association of Dravida Kazhagam head K. Veeramani with Viduthalai, A. Raja remarked, “You’re a Shudra till you remain a Hindu. You’re a son of the prostitute till you remain a Shudra. You’re a Panchaman (Dalit) till you remain a Hindu. You’re an untouchable till you remain a Hindu. How many of you wish to stay as children of prostitutes? How many of you wish to remain untouchable? Only if we’re vocal about these questions, it will become elemental in breaking Santhana (Sanatana Dharma).”

On September 2023 speaking at a protest organized by the rabid anti-Hindu outfit Dravidar Kazhagam against the Centre’s Viswakarma Scheme. A Raja spoke “I am oddly surprised that Udhayanidhi Stalin had only spoken about it only softly saying (Sanatana Dharma) has to be eradicated like malaria and dengue. Malaria and dengue doesn’t have social stigma. The society won’t look at them disgustingly. If we have to call it something disgusting, there was leprosy, there is HIV today. For us, just like leprosy and HIV, we’ve to see it (Sanathana Dharma) as a social stigma.” supporting Udhayanidhi stalin calling Hindu Dharma as Dengue and Malaria it should be eradicated.

During the commemoration and film premiere event for Aanimuthu, affiliated with the Periyar Organization, DMK’s A Raja remarked, “At that point, when I used to step out, my mother would ask me to smear Muruga’s Vibuthi and I would smear it. Then I listened to Periyar’s final speech and continued reading all of his books. After that, I threw away the Vibuthi. Not only that, I also placed a elephant cracker below your Ganesha idol and it exploded. That was a time in my life. The reason behind this change in me is Periyar’s final speech.”

Separatist And Anti-India Remarks

During a gathering in Coimbatore on 3 February 2024, DMK MP A Raja incited separatist sentiments as “India is not a nation. Understand this well. India is never a nation. One nation means one language, one tradition and one culture. Then only it is one nation. India is not a nation but a subcontinent. What’s the reason? Here, Tamil is one nation and one country. Malayalam is one language, one nation and one country. Oriya is a nation, a language and a country. All these nations make up India. So, India is not country it is a subcontinent.”

During DMK Youth Wing Conference on January 2024, A Raja spoke India is an artificially constructed nation against the Britishers, “Periyar did not accept this (Indian) nationalism. He said that Indian nationalism was a fiction. He called the Indian flag as a loincloth. He burnt the national flag. He burnt the portraits of Gandhi. The reason for that was Tamil nationalism and Tamilians should survive.”

Subscribe to our channels on Telegram, WhatsApp, and Instagram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.