From showing Money muscle to slapping ward councillor; DMK leaders on rampage

Tamil Nadu Minister for Municipal Administration, Urban and Water Supply and senior DMK leader hit a hat trick by getting caught on camera. This time he was seen discussing with a poll Congress party candidate the details of money/ gifts distribution.

KN Nehru stated that money would be distributed by January 31 and that polling officials would be given watches and biryani to ensure that the election went in favour of the DMK-led alliance. He also mentions going to Coimbatore and uses words like ‘settle’ and ‘set right.’

In the first instance, on January 10, a video surfaced on social media showing DMK Minister KN Nehru slapping Trichy 54th Ward councillor Member of Pushparaj on the head during a Government welfare programme in Trichy.

In the second one, at a function in Salem to felicitate new youth and sports Minister Udhaya Nidhi Stalin, Minister Nehru was caught on camera roughing up cadres who tried to shake hands with the new Minister. He caught him by the scruff of his neck and pushed him away. Party workers were all standing on a dais, and cadres queued up to greet Udhayanidhi Stalin. According to a video that went viral on social media, Minister Nehru grabbed the party worker’s hands and hit him behind the head. The same treatment was meted out to a few more DMK cadres when they attempted to get close to Udhayanithi Stalin. Nehru’s behaviour reminded the way the bouncers function. Roughing up cadres by DMK seniors is not new, and it is part and parcel of their party work.

In the third one, KN Nehru and Erode East Assembly constituency Congress candidate EVKS Elangovan were discussing the money/prize distribution in detail, oblivious of sitting on a dais, another leader was speaking on the mike. The by-poll was necessitated following the death of Elangovan’s son recently, and DMK allotted the seat again to its ally Congress and forced him to contest. The mike picked up the conversation between the two; Nehru said, “Don’t bother about him. He is waste. No ministers should be involved. No necessity. I have told yesterday itself that all should come including district functionaries. I will not bother. You all present there. That is what I wanted to say. You have to distribute money, gifts. So I called the party district presidents by noon and settle everything before January 30 and January 31. 10,000 workers are ready in 31 booths. Tomorrow our leader Stalin is going to give watch and briyani to officials. Now I will depart to Trichy and from there to Chennai and finish everything then will proceed to Coimbatore on 31st and will be back by January 31 night here. I have completed everything. Let’s see Palani brother coming and Mahesh. Let’s see if Mahesh (Education Minister Anbil Mahesh) is coming or we ourselves will do it. If they do not come; no problem. We will do ourselves all works. (Stone throw Minister) Nasar is saying he doesn’t need more than 5. He is sad after putting Nasar there. They feel unhappy on hearing Naser’s name. Local men…, seniors… all brothers (Vidhuthalai Chiruthaigal)… see wherever they have not given, we will give the same. The locals there are majorly Viduthalai Siruthaigal brothers (VCK party). Just check wherever he is missing to give (money). We ourselves will give. Otherwise I will give off. Minister Sendhi Balaji too has given his share (he is the Minister (power, prohibition and excise). Why should want him to sit here?”

In a tweet, Tamil Nadu BJP Chief K Annamalai said it demonstrated the DMK’s dependence on money power to win the election. In the tweeter, he said, “DMK faces the election pinning their hopes on money power & they presume that anything could be bought with money! If in doubt, check this out! (Video). Annamalai has urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to investigate the matter.

In yet another instance of DMK leaders exhibiting a feudal casteist mindset, a Salem-based DMK functionary was caught on camera verbally abusing a Scheduled Caste youth allegedly for entering the village temple.

It took place in Salem’s Thirumalaigiri village, where a Dalit youth had entered a temple maintained by the Vanniyar community on January 19 2023. It comes under the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department (HR and CE). In the video, the DMK functionary D Manickam (suspended from the party after public fury on January 30) can be heard threatening, “Hey! Look at me and tell. I will smash you. You don’t like the people of this village being well? Who asked you to go inside, man? Tell man! (Not audible)… Were you sucking (uses equivalent cuss word in Tamil) last night? Who asked you to go? You won’t be able to stay in this village, mind you! “For the sake of everyone’s welfare and the welfare of the village, I am sitting here without sleeping every dawn for the last fifteen days, puluthi p*nda (a bad word in Tamil ), you will talk about justice p*nda (cuss word in Tamil denoting female genitalia) is it?”.

He went on to say, “Hey you p*nda mavane! Will just whack you! K*dhi! (Another cuss word denoting female genitalia)! Aren’t the people here men? You think you are better than the men here?” the DMK leader goes on to intimidate the youth. Abusing the person next to the youth, the DMK leader says, “Who are you, p*nda? Will whack you! Mind your work. You will die without food and water. You can’t go anywhere! “K*dhi mavane (cuss word in Tamil), I have been asking you all to work; you are doing this kind of underground job p*nda, is it? “. He said none from his village and the surrounding village wanted to visit the temple. What he spoke could not be printable. This incident happened ten days back.

Former Union Minister Raja, notorious for controversial Hindu rabid comments, recently kicked off another debate while speaking at a function in his Nilgiri constituency. He claimed, “Schools founded by Christian organisations continue to teach about our history. Christianity was the first religion in the world to accept that common people in this society should have access to education. Students recited verses from the Bhagavad Gita, the Bible, and the Quran. Students who spoke before me stated that all religions are equal. However, saying this does not imply that I am opposed to any religion.”

He further said, “Ambedkar said that if a person’s education is against the country and society, he is worse than an animal. Education and knowledge are for the advancement of mankind. I adore people but have no faith in God. If God loves and compassionate toward others, then there must be such a God.”

Political commentator Rama Venkatadri says, “The DMK, which is not contesting, wants to win the by-election as it sees it as a prestigious issue. The AIADMK is a divided house. Both former CMs O Pannerselvam and Edapadi K Palaniswamy are fighting over the party control, and cases are pending in SC and the election commission. If the EC does not allocate a party symbol two leaves, it will contest as an Independent. BJP has announced not to contest.

DMK wants to fish in the troubled waters and repeat the successful “Thirumangalan formula” used by Karunanidhi’s elder son M K Azhagiri (an ingenious way of distributing money to voters with detection). The DMK, which is ballyhooing, is the champion of social justice and running the Dravidian model government. Its police machinery cannot find the people who mixed human faeces in the over tank serving water to the Dalit colony even after a month.

It is a smack of its inherent quality in their DNA”.

It is pertinent to remember that a couple of months ago, speaking at a function after his election as the party chief for the second term in October last, Stalin said, “every morning I get up with the hope that our people would not have created any trouble. Sometimes I am unable to sleep. You can realise it by seeing my body and health. Your action should bring laurels to the party and should not denigrate it… the party was subjected to ridicule and shame because the behaviour of some”.

Despite his candid admission of his inability to deal with such people with an iron hand ( to avoid rebellion), now not only seniors but also all act unmindful of its counteraction. Will hope better sense prevails on them!