Chennai: After the collapse of its alliance with the ruling TDP in Andhra Pradesh, it now appears to be the turn of the 'servile' AIADMK to turn the heat on the BJP in Dravidian Tamil Nadu. Senior Minister D. Jayakumar has in fact threatened to throw the BJP national secretary H. Raja into jail for his 'dangerously provocative' insults about Periyar, the divine guru of Dravidianism.
For his part, Raja too was not wanting in the display of his robust firepower as he came out on Thursday with what he termed as fresh evidence of Periyar's hatred for Tamil, as if to say that these Dravidian leaders attacking him for the FB post on Periyar statues were on terribly weak wicket. He had pulled down that FB post of Tuesday and sacked the administrator who had put it up without his knowledge when he was in the plane travelling to Delhi, yet the attack on him was not abating, wailed Raja. And then he came up with his Brahmastram on evidence of Periyar's hatred for Tamil.
“Dravidam was forced upon the Tamils only to destroy their Tamil language. I have in my possession the evidence of Periyar calling Tamil as shani (evil) that must be destroyed. I am coming under attack now only because I have started speaking the truth about all this”, declared Raja at a crowded media interaction at Dindigul, while an armed police team kept guard close by to ensure he did not come to physical harm from the enraged members of the several Dravidian parties and outfits swearing allegiance to Periyarism.
For those who insisted that Raja was summoned to Delhi by the BJP top brass and the PMO for a scolding on his FB post, his even more provocative claim on Periyar's alleged hate for Tamil should come as a shocker.
Reacting with expected anger, Minister Jayakumar told the eager TV mikes that Raja's claim--on Periyar's hate for Tamil--was bogus and Tamil Nadu people should not believe that. “This government will not tolerate any attempt to denigrate Tamil. I am warning those trying to create violence and chaos in Tamil Nadu by making such false statements that they will be thrown into jail. Whoever does that, however big and mighty, will be jailed. All are equal before law, be it Raja (king) or Rajaveettupillai (of royal family) and law will take its course”, thundered the AIADMK senior. The royal family, it is easy to infer, is the BJP where H. Raja holds a national position.
