The opposition and treasury benches engaged in a heated verbal duel in Rajya Sabha on Monday after DMK MP M Mohamed Abdulla made a controversial remark during a discussion on Jammu and Kashmir bills.
Abdulla, who quoted Thanthai Periyar to make a controversial remark on Kashmir, led to a heated exchange of words between the opposition MP and the Chair after which Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar expunged his speech and the remark was removed from the official records.
Dhankar reminded the MP that the speech challenged the Constitution and Supreme Court judgement and reminded the MPs of the responsibility that came with the freedom of speech.
First it was Amit Shah with Tiruchi Siva. But watch how the veep called the second d-stock’s rubbish in style. Notice how the d-stocks are going beyond their brief to sink the already sinking ship.pic.twitter.com/WMA9F4xWfP— Ajit Datta (@ajitdatta) December 11, 2023
“Can we quote anything in this House? Can we go to the extent of it being seditious, challenging our integrity, going against our Constitution? Going against the judgement of the Supreme Court this day?” Dhankar said during the proceedings.
Several Controversies of DMK Leaders
This isn’t the first time that the DMK MP has made a controversial remark in the house. Earlier this month, party’s Dharmapuri MP S Senthilkumar stirred a row with his criticism of Sanatan Dharma with his remarks on Hindi-speaking states.
“People of this country should think that the power of this BJP is only winning elections, and mainly in the heartland Hindi states, what we generally call the ******** states,” Senthilkumar said, which led to a huge uproar.
The controversial remarks by the DMK MPs come months after Udhayanidhi Stalin, Tamil Nadu minister and son of DMK chief MK Stalin, sparked a massive controversy with his remarks on Sanatana Dharma.
Udhayanidhi Stalin stated that Sanatana Dharma is incompatible with the concept of social justice and should be “eliminated” and drew parallels between Sanatana Dharma and diseases like dengue and malaria.
Stalin and other DMK leaders like M Mohamed Abdulla often name-drop Periyar, revered as the ‘Father of the Dravidian movement’. Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has its roots in the Self-Respect Movement begun by EV Ramaswamy ‘Periyar’.
Periyar and Dravidian movement
Periyar EV Ramasamy was a radical advocate against Brahminical dominance and caste and gender inequality. His movement in the first half of the twentieth century was in opposition to caste and religion and portrayed itself as a rationalist movement against social evils.
Periyar joined the Indian National Congress in 1919 but resigned in 1925, feeling that the party was primarily serving the interests of Brahmins. Periyar founded the Self-Respect Movement in 1926, aimed at creating a rational society devoid of caste, religion, and God.
Periyar is considered as a demi-God by all present-day Tamil fanatic groups and secessionists in Tamil Nadu. His ideas have influenced the current Tamil politics and the present ruling party DMK, as well as the opposition All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).
Periyar’s Controversial Views
Against Brahmans: Periyar in several of his speeches condemned Hindu Gods and ridiculed Hindu customs and traditions. In his last speech, in December 1973, he said that he had been striving for long to annihilate God, religion, the Congress, Gandhi and the Brahmin.
“Brahminism came from Brahmins and hence it is the Brahmins who should be annihilated. It is like asking whether you hate thievery or the thief. It is because one is a thief, one indulges in thievery. When someone says he hates thievery, it means he hates the thief, too, doesn’t it? Thus, Brahminism grew out of the Brahmin and I am striving to annihilate the root,” he said.
Against Hindu Gods: Periyar and his supporters famously burnt posters and portraits of Hindu gods and goddesses since the 1950s. He also invited his supporters to desecrate the idols of Ganesha and organized a procession in Salem in Tamil Nadu with big cutouts of “Ram”, “Sita” and “Hanuman” garlanded with slippers.
He instead believed in eradicating the religion altogether. “There is no god. He who created god is a fool. He who propagates god is a scoundrel. He who worships god is a barbarian,” Periyar famously said.
Anti-Hindi stance: The continuing hate for the Hindi language in Tamil politics finds its roots in Periyar’s anti-Hindi stance. Periyar saw Hindi as a form of Brahmanical domination as it is known to have evolved from Sanskrit, the Vedic language traditionally restricted to upper-caste men. Therefore, every year, Tamil Nadu marks Language Martyrs Day, held in memory of those who gave their lives during the anti-Hindi agitation in the state.
Anti-reservation: Periyar used to accuse Ambedkar for selling himself to the Brahmins. “The Brahmins had paid him a price. The price is this: he asked for 10% reservation and they gave him 15%. They knew that even if they gave him 25%, not even three or four percent of qualified people would be available (among Dalits). He accepted the Constitution written by the Brahmins and signed on the dotted lines,” Periyar said.
Against Democratic Principles: “India should never go anywhere near democratic principles. The reason is 90% of our population are fools and 97% of them are persons of low birth. How will their rule set right our country?” Periyar would say.