Patna: Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav on Sunday strongly criticised DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran for allegedly making remarks against people from the Hindi heartland states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
In a video statement, Mr. Maran was heard saying that people from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh do menial jobs such as cleaning roads and toilets in Tamil Nadu.
Reacting to the statement, Tejashwi Yadav asserted that while the DMK advocates social justice, any derogatory remarks against people belonging to Hindi heartland states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh were unacceptable.
“If they talked about people from a particular community doing such kind of jobs then it would have been different. We would have asked why people are still engaged in such kinds of jobs. But if they say that people from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are engaged in such jobs then we will not accept it”, Tejashwi Yadav said.
“DMK is a party that speaks about social justice. They should not make such kind of derogatory remarks against people from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Such comments are highly condemnable. Leaders from other states must abstain from making such statements”, Tejashwi added.
In his statement, Tejashwi Yadav also highlighted the demand for labourers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in several states. He emphasized that if workers from Bihar and UP were barred from other regions it would significantly affect their livelihoods.
He also spoke about mutual respect, expressing the desire for people from other states to “acknowledge and respect people of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh”.
DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran has been facing criticism from the political parties in Bihar ever since his video statement went viral on social media. On Sunday BJP leaders demanded clarification from INDIA bloc parties on the issue.
“We condemn the statement of Dayanidhi Maran using derogatory terms for the people of Bihar. Tejashwi Yadav is just trying to save the DMK, their counterparts of INDI alliance, by merely doing lip service. The INDI alliance people are trying to pollute the politics of this country by all silly cards like caste, religion and region. They will be getting a befitting reply in the forthcoming 2024 parliamentary election”, BJP leader Nikhil Anand said.
