A political row has erupted over DMK leader TR Baalu’s comments over the competency of Union Minister L Murugan. The BJP has accused him of insulting a Dalit minister.
During the Question Hour in parliament, Baalu raised questions on the Centre’s action following the floods that ravaged Chennai and south Tamil Nadu in December. To this, Union Minister of State Murugan said the questions were irrelevant. This had angered Baalu who questioned Murugan’s competency to be a minister and an MP.
The offending “word” used by Baalu, which was later expunged by the Speaker, had angered BJP leaders, including Parliamentary Affairs minister Pralhad Joshi and Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, who accused the senior DMK leader of insulting a Dalit minister.
Murugan belongs to the Arunthathiyar community, which in Tamil Nadu is considered to be the most oppressed among the Scheduled Castes. Murugan has said he has been targeted because of his community. Baalu has contended that his remark had no caste connotations, and was political in nature.
We look at the past instances where a Dalit Speaker Dhanapal felt “humiliated” by DMK legislators, the RS Bharathi controversy, and the time when former Union Minister Dayanidhi Maran stoked a controversy with a remark that angered the Dalits, and Karunanidhi’s response to the accusation that the Dravidian movement had done little for Dalits.
Presentation: D. Suresh Kumar
Production: Shibu Narayan
Videography: Shiva Raj
