Blurb: Ruling party leaders slammed a DMK minister over remarks on North Indian migrants, calling them divisive and disrespectful.
New Delhi
A political controversy erupted on Thursday after a senior DMK minister’s remarks on North Indian migrant workers in Tamil Nadu triggered sharp criticism from ruling party leaders, who accused the Congress and its allies of historically treating people from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar as second-rate citizens.
The backlash followed comments made by Tamil Nadu Minister MRK Panneerselvam at a public event in Chengalpattu. Referring to migrant labourers from North India, the minister reportedly said that people from the region were coming to Tamil Nadu to take up low-paying jobs such as cleaning tables, working at construction sites, and selling street food. He further suggested that the lack of employment opportunities in their home states forced them to migrate.
Panneerselvam also contrasted the situation with Tamil Nadu’s education policy, claiming that the state’s two-language formula and emphasis on English education had enabled many local youths to seek employment abroad. According to him, young people from Tamil Nadu were moving to countries like the United States and the United Kingdom, where they were earning high salaries.
The remarks drew strong reactions across party lines, with leaders calling them insulting and harmful to social harmony. Critics said migrant workers play a vital role in India’s economy and should not be demeaned for political messaging.
Speaking to reporters outside Parliament, Union Minister Chirag Paswan accused some leaders of making provocative statements merely to stay in the public eye. There are a few leaders who want to be in the headlines because of their statements. They believe in a divide-and-rule agenda, Paswan said, adding that such leaders divide people on the basis of language, caste, religion, and region.
Paswan said the NDA government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi was committed to the principle of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas. Policies are framed keeping the people of the country at the centre. Those who divide people into east, west, south and north do not care about the nation; they only indulge in petty politics, he said.