DMK MP Dr S. Senthilkumar sparked a controversy on Tuesday in Lok Sabha by describing Hindi heartland States as “gaumutra States”, and said the BJP can win elections only there and not in South India. The comments few months after a DMK’s ‘Sanatan Dharma’ row create ripples on social media however the major alliance partner Congress immediately said the party did not relate with the politics of DMK.
Participating in a debate in the Lower House on two bills related to Jammu and Kashmir, Senthilkumar said people of this country should think that the power of the BJP is only winning elections “in the heartland states of Hindi and what we generally called as gaumutra states”.
Later in the evening, Speaker OM Birla ordered to expunch the word – gaumutra – from the records.
“You (BJP) cannot come to South India.
You see all the results of what happens in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka ... We are very strong over there,” said Senthilkumar, amid protests from BJP MPs. Senthilkumar is representing Dharmapuri constituency in Lok Sabha and a doctor by profession, specializing in radiology.
He went on to say, “We will not be surprised if you have an option of converting all these States into Union territories so that you can come into indirect power because you can never dream of setting foot over there and taking control of all the southern states.”
BJP leaders hit back at the DMK and asked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi if he agreed with the insulting remarks of its INDIA bloc partner against the north Indians.
The comments come in the backdrop of some referring to the recent assembly election results as a ‘North-South divide’ after the BJP trounced the Congress in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, and the Congress won in Telangana.
“Congress belives in Sanatan Dharma and Gau Mata, we don’t agree with DMK’s statements,” said Congress General Secretary and Rajya Sabha MP Rajiv Shukla.
During the elections, the row over some DMK leaders’ remarks against Sanatan Dharma had been latched on by the BJP to target the Congress.
Earlier this year, Congress had wrested Karnataka from the BJP, while other southern states are ruled by non-BJP parties including Tamil Nadu where Congress ally DMK is in power.
In Tamil Nadu, state BJP chief K Annamalai condemned the “insensitive” remarks of the MP, saying the level of the party’s discourse is “sinking” like Chennai and the “arrogance” of DMK will be the prime reason for its downfall. “After calling our North Indian friends Pani Puri sellers, toilet constructors, etc., I.N.D.I. Alliance DMK MP, makes Gaumutra Jibes,” he said on X.
“Chennai is sinking due to the misgovernance of DMK & and so is their level of discourse on the floor of the Parliament,” Annamalai said, referring to the flood-like situation in the state capital. The BJP “highly condemns this insensitive remark,” he said. Annamalai said the DMK MP has possibly forgotten that the NDA Alliance is in power in Puducherry and was in power in Karnataka until recently. “The arrogance of DMK will be the prime reason for their downfall!,” he posted.
Later in the evening, Senthilkumar apologised on his controversial remark. “Commenting on the results of the five recent state assembly elections, I have used a word in a inappropriate way. Not using that term with any intent, I apologize for sending the wrong meaning across,” he posted in X