News Tamil Nadu

“Kanimozhi An Entitled Dynast, A Nobody Without Karunanidhi”: TN BJP Head Annamalai Hits Back At DMK MP For Her Comments On Sengol And Silapathigaram

August 15, 2023
The Commune

Tamil Nadu BJP president Annamalai hits back sharply at DMK MP Kanimozhi Who attempted to enlighten Prime Minister Modi about Pandian Sengol and Silapathigaram.

During a discussion on a no-confidence motion against the BJP government, DMK MP Kanimozhi said, “You brought the Sengol to the new Parliament with great fanfare, claiming it belongs to the Chola tradition. But your knowledge of Tamil Nadu’s history is inadequate. Have you ever heard of Pandiyan Sengol? The Pandiyan Sengol burned and crumbled when the king failed his people. I urge you to stop imposing Hindi on us and read Sillappadhikaram; it holds valuable lessons for all of you.”

In response, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman countered Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam MP Kanimozhi, pointing out that Silapathigaram mainly pertains to the Tamil culture and does not talk about Dravidam or Draidians, an ideology which Kanimozhi’s party is associated with. Finance Minister said, “They asked us to read Sillapadhikaram. There was an expert by the name Ma. Po. Si (Mayilai Ponnusamy Sivagnanam). He had the title Silambu Selvar. He was an authority of Silappadhikaram. I want to read what he wrote in a magazine, Tamil Murasu in 1951. ”

Nirmala Sitharam read lines from Silapathigaram which said,

“We are not Dravidians, we are Tamils;
Our motherland is Tamilagam and not Dravidam;
Its northern boundary is Venkatam and not Vindhya;
The Brahmins of Tamil Nadu are not Ariyar, but Tamils.
While the cultural habits and practices of Tamils are different from those who reside outside Venkatam, they are not opposite to each other.”

She further said, “In summary, Silappadhikaram says we are not Dravidians but Tamils.”

In this context, while responding to a question on Kanimozhi’s attempt to enlighten PM Modi about Sillappadhikaram and Sengol, Tamil Nadu BJP president Annamalai said, “I do not want to talk about a dynast. All Karyakarthas here are self-made people. I don’t have an identity of being born to Karunanidhi. If you take Karunanidhi out of Kanimozhi, she is a nobody. That is why she does not want Sengol in parliament. A common man in Tamil Nadu appreciates Sengol because Sengol is a reflection of the common man and Kanimozhi is a reflection of a dynasty; an entitled dynast. I don’t have any respect for what Kanimozhi talks in parliament. If you have any questions of a leader from DMK who came up the ladder in a hard way, I will comment on that.”

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