Months after DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin called for the ‘annihilation’ of Sanatana Dharma, a member of his party made another controversial remark, sparking outrage from several quarters. DMK leader RS Bharathi insulted the people of Nagaland as ‘dog eaters’ while issuing a veiled threat to Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi.
“When the Nagaland residents, who eat dogs, displayed such dignity in their actions, driving Ravi out of their state, we must not lose sight of the self-respect of the Tamil people who season their meals with salt,” Bharathi, DMK’s organisation secretary, said at a party event held to mark the centenary of late party patriarch M Karunanidhi.
The video of Bharathi’s remarks has gone viral on the internet, triggering sharp disapproval from several quarters, including Governor RN Ravi, who condemned the derogatory comments made by DMK leader RS Bharathi towards the Naga community, where he referred to them as “dog eaters.”
The governor’s office, responding to these comments on the social media platform X, described them as “vulgar and unacceptable.”
“Nagas are brave, honest and dignified people. Thiru R S Bharathi, a senior DMK leader, publicly insulting them as ‘Dog eaters’ is scurrilous and unacceptable. I urge Mr Bharathi not to hurt a community of which the whole of India is proud,” the statement by the Tamil Nadu governor read.
“Nagas are brave, honest and dignified people. Thiru R S Bharathi a senior DMK leader publicly insulting them as ‘Dog eaters’ is scurrilous and unacceptable. I urge Mr Bharathi not to hurt a community of which the whole of India is proud.”-Governor Ravi
— RAJ BHAVAN, TAMIL NADU (@rajbhavan_tn) November 5, 2023
The BJP too trained its guns against the DMK leader as Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai lashed out at him, saying the recent attack on the Governor is an outcome of such uncouth speeches by DMK leaders. “Reducing the pride of our North Eastern brothers & sisters to Dog eaters is highly condemnable,” said Annamalai while taking a dig at DMK’s model of ‘inclusive social justice’.
Annamalai also shared the video of Bharathi’s remarks at the event.
The recent attack on Raj Bhavan is an outcome of such uncouth speeches against the Hon Governor by DMK leaders, yet DMK doesn't seem to have learnt the lesson.
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) November 6, 2023
Reducing the pride of our North Eastern brothers & sisters to Dog eaters is highly condemnable.
While Thiru… pic.twitter.com/mJOI7fY8fm
Reacting to the incident, BJP leader Narayanan Thirupathy said, “DMK leader RS Bharathi has insulted the people of Nagaland. Either he should apologise or he should be arrested and put behind bars.”
Apparently, Nagas are not the only section of the public targeted by the DMK, one of the key members of the opposition alliance I.N.D.I bloc. Before this, several leaders of the I.N.D.I.A. bloc had made disparaging remarks against Sanatana Dharma and threw their weight behind Udhayanidhi Stalin over his vow to ‘eradicate Sanatan Dharma’, a faith which has over 100 crore believers the world over.
Taking a cue from Udhayanidhi Stalin, who compared Sanatan Dharma to diseases like Malaria and Corona and called for its eradication, DMK Minister A Raja claimed that his colleague’s remarks on Sanatan Dharma were soft. A Raja, who was accused in the 2G scam, argued that Sanatan Dharma should have been compared with stigmatising ailments such as HIV or leprosy.
During the current round of smear campaigns and attacks against Sanatan Dharma, several senior functionaries of Tamil Nadu Congress and its party leaders like Karti Chidambaram, son of Former Home Minister P Chidambaram and Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge who is the son of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge too added fuel to the fire.
Conspicuously, leaders from Congress, DMK, VCK, RJD, CPI(M), and Samajwadi Party among others have made controversial and hateful remarks against Sanatan Dharma, giving an impression that they all are on the same page as far as their opinions on Hinduism are concerned.
