BJP leader H. Raja regrets Facebook post on ‘casteist Periyar’

BJP national secretary H. Raja on Wednesday issued a clarification on the social media post that advocated removal of Dravidar Kazhagam founder Periyar E.V. Ramasamy's statues in Tamil Nadu.

Mr. Raja said the the post was published "without his permission".

The post was taken down on Tuesday evening.

"The admin of my page published the statement without my permission that all Periyar statues in the State should be removed. So I have removed the post," he said.

He further added in Tamil, "We should contest ideas with ideas, not with violence. It was not my intention to hurt anyone's feelings or sentiments. And if it did, I regret."

After the Facebook post, a Periyar statue in Tiruppattur was vandalised. Police have increased security for the late leader's statues across the State.

Security to be provided to protect Periyar statue at Central Bus Stand in Tiruchi.   | Photo Credit: A. Muralitharan

P. Muralidhar Rao, BJP general secretary in charge of Tamil Nadu, said in a statement: “BJP does not subscribe to any kind of provoking or disrespectful statements and actions of vandalism towards leaders like Periyar. We condemn outrightly those people who are indulging in such actions.”

In his post, Mr. Raja referred to the pulling down of a statue of Russian Communist leader Lenin in Tripura, where the BJP scored a massive victory in the Assembly elections, and said, “Today it is Lenin in Tripura, tomorrow in Tamil Nadu (it will be) casteist Periyar’s statue.”