DMK General Secretary and Tamil Nadu Water Resources Minister Durai Murugan has stirred controversy with his remarks targeting North Indians, calling them “filthy with bad odour” and accusing them of practicing polygamy. Speaking at a party meeting in Gudiyatham on March 12, he also issued a sharp warning, stating that he would “cut the tongues” of those who label Tamilians as uncultured and uncivilized, in an apparent reference to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Known for his provocative statements, Durai murugan has previously made disparaging comments about Hindu Gods, particularly Bhagwan Ram. His latest speech was delivered at a DMK gathering condemning the Modi government for allegedly denying Tamil Nadu’s share of funds, attempting to impose Hindi through the National Education Policy (NEP), and proposing delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies.
Durai Murugan further claimed that North Indian culture permits multiple marriages, whereas Tamil culture upholds monogamy.
Durai Murugan said, “North Indians dare to call us barbarians? We stand at the pinnacle of civilization! Our ancestors wove garments from rat hair and traded them with Greece, Persia, and the Far East. In Tamil culture, a man marries only one woman, but in North India, it is common for one man to have multiple wives—five or even ten. This is their tradition. If one wife leaves, another takes her place. Similarly, their culture even allows five men to marry one woman,” he remarked, in an apparent reference to Draupadi’s marriage to the five Pandavas in the Mahabharata. “And now, they call us uncivilized? We will cut their tongues for such insults,” he warned.
Do INDI Alliance leaders from North India endorse DMK’s blatant vilification of North Indians?
Time and again, @arivalayam’s deep seated hatred for North Indians has come to the forefront. DMK senior minister Shri @katpadidmk has demeaned our North Indian brothers and sisters… pic.twitter.com/ptuTuIfZ1E
— BJP Tamilnadu (@BJP4TamilNadu) March 14, 2025
Durai Murugan cautioned, “Do not put your hand into a hornet’s nest. Do not think you can dissolve our government—it is impossible now, as laws have been passed to prevent such actions. If it were possible, it would have already been done.
He praised Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, stating, “Our Thalapathi Stalin is the only leader in the country brave enough to confront Union ministers face-to-face. Anna would test and leave, Karunanidhi would wage wars, but Stalin does not hesitate to cut off tongues if necessary.”
Criticizing past policies, he remarked, “When Congress leader Rajaji introduced Hindu-based education, he also introduced caste-based education. Now, under Thalapathi’s leadership, there is a three-pronged fight against the denial of funds, the delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies, and the imposition of Hindi.”
Highlighting Stalin’s outreach efforts, he added, “For the first time, he has deputed envoys to neighboring states—just like ambassadors are sent to foreign countries. No other leader dares to do this, and that is why they fear us. Do not turn the situation into a hornet’s nest.”
Durai Murugan took a sharp dig at Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s remarks against DMK MPs in Parliament, stating, “Coming from this stinking culture, and you dare call us uncivilized? Be careful—we will cut your tongue.”
To reinforce his point, he narrated an analogy: “A diseased cattle, oozing pus and blood from its wounds, gave off such a foul stench that no one dared to approach it. The owner, hoping to entice someone, offered a Rs 1,000 reward to anyone who could touch it. Many Tamilians attempted but were repelled by the smell. Then, a North Indian stepped forward. As he got close, the cattle—overcome by an even worse stench—broke its nose and ran away.
He continued, “North Indians never bathe, nor do they maintain hygiene. Yet, they have the audacity to call us uncivilized. The Union Minister is ignorant of such facts. Our leader has advised us to remain calm and control our tongues. Otherwise, we would have cut his tongue.”
வடநாட்டவர்களை நாற்றம் பிடித்தவர்கள் என கொச்சைப்படுத்தும் துரைமுருகன்.
😤 pic.twitter.com/AsbuDPEAQl— JEYAN J (@Kumari_Jeyan) March 12, 2025
Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan accused the DMK-led Tamil Nadu government of being “dishonest” and engaging in “politics” at the expense of students’ futures. Speaking in Parliament, he said, “They (DMK) are dishonest. They are not committed to the students of Tamil Nadu; they are ruining their future. Their only agenda is to create language barriers, play politics, and stir mischief. They are undemocratic and uncivilized.” His remarks were later expunged from the records by the Speaker.
This is not the first time Pradhan has made controversial remarks. During a DMK public meeting in Chennai East District on March 11, held to celebrate Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s birthday, he expressed hostility towards Hindi-speaking people. He referred to the Hindi language as “peeda”—a Tamil slur meaning bad omen or unlucky, likening it to Lakshmi Moodevi or Jyestha, the elder sister of Goddess Lakshmi associated with misfortune.
DMK General Secretary and Tamil Nadu Water Resources Minister Durai Murugan reiterated his party’s opposition to Hindi, stating that their resistance is not against the language itself but against its imposition. “Our community has produced multilingual poets and scholars, but studying this particular language brings Dosham (inauspiciousness), Theetu (impurity), and misfortune. If you study English, you will progress, but if you study Hindi, you will decline,” he remarked.
Highlighting linguistic differences, he added, “No matter how much you learn Hindi, you cannot speak like them. Even though I know Telugu, I cannot speak like a native Telugu speaker.”
Durai Murugan further ridiculed North Indians, likening them to pigs for having many children. “Our people follow ‘We Two, Ours One,’ but they breed like pigs over there,” he said, despite his party’s stance on individual rights. His remarks have triggered outrage, with critics accusing him of promoting divisive rhetoric.
Strongly objecting to DMK Minister Durai Murugan’s controversial remarks, BJP spokesperson RP Singh demanded clarification from key opposition leaders. “Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Lalu Prasad Yadav, and Tejashwi Yadav must answer whether they support or oppose Durai Murugan’s comments on North Indian women. They are crossing all limits to win elections,” he stated.
Durai Murugan had earlier claimed that Northern women have multiple husbands, sparking widespread criticism.
BJP spokesperson RP Singh-
"Rahul, Kharge, Lalu & Tejashwi should answer whether they standy or oppose DMK Minister Durai Murugan's comment on North Indian women.
They are crossing all limits to win polls."
Durai said Northern women have multiple husbands. pic.twitter.com/amudqBU7dh
— News Arena India (@NewsArenaIndia) March 16, 2025
A netizen remarked, “More than 24 hours have passed since the video of the DMK Minister calling North Indians ‘pigs’ surfaced, yet not a single leader from the INDI alliance has condemned it. Do they accept it? Are they proud pigs?”
More than 24 hours have passed since this video of DMK Minister calling North Indians "pigs" surfaced, yet not a single North Indian INDI alliance leader has condemned it.
They accept it? Proud pigs?
pic.twitter.com/3nhcFkzeHK— Mr Sinha (@Mrsinha) March 15, 2025
Tamil Nadu BJP Chief K. Annamalai remarked, “He is insulting Karunanidhi.”
Tamil Nadu BJP Chief K Annamalai on slams DMK Minister Durai Murugan over his remarks that North Indian culture allows one woman to marry 5-10 men.
Annamalai says he is insulting Karunanidhi. pic.twitter.com/YajGZiEtZG
— News Arena India (@NewsArenaIndia) March 14, 2025
In a post on X, BJP National President of Mahila Morcha and MLA Vanathi Srinivasan condemned DMK Minister Durai Murugan’s remarks, calling them “shocking and disgraceful.” She stated, “A senior DMK Minister, @katpadidmk, has stooped to the lowest depths of misogyny with a vile, degrading remark that insults the dignity of women. His disgusting statement, ‘Five men will marry one woman,’ not only demeans Indian culture but also exposes the DMK’s deep-seated contempt for women.
Criticizing the DMK’s reaction, she added, “And how does @arivalayam respond? With applause and laughter! Will Tamil Nadu CM Thiru. @mkstalin and MP Tmt. @KanimozhiDMK justify this abhorrent rhetoric? Will INDI Alliance leaders @RahulGandhi, @yadavakhilesh, @MamataOfficial, and @HemantSorenJMM dare to condemn this open vilification of women, or will they remain silent to shield their ally’s disgraceful conduct?”
Meanwhile, Dr. Poornima pointed out the contradiction in Durai Murugan’s remarks, stating, “He seems to have forgotten that M.K. Stalin’s father, M. Karunanidhi, was married three times—to the late Padmavathy, Dayalu, and Rajathi.”
He forgot, MK Stalin's father, M Karunanidhi had married 3 times, his wives are the late Padmavathy, Dayalu and Rajathi. pic.twitter.com/sTaJk8tiDZ
— Dr Poornima 🇮🇳 (@PoornimaNimo) March 15, 2025
A critic accused DMK leaders of hypocrisy, stating, “Most DMK leaders treat wives and concubines as status symbols and have a history of stealing other men’s wives. Their mentor, E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker, never bathed or cleaned himself after attending nature’s calls. His foul stench was worse than that of cattle sick with wounds.”
Meanwhile, an undated video of DMK Minister Durai Murugan has surfaced, in which he humorously explains why politicians need to know Hindi or English. Seated next to South Chennai MP Tamizhatchi Thangapandian, he remarked, “A politician who can speak well goes to the Assembly or Parliament. To speak in Parliament, you must know two languages—Hindi or English. If you don’t know Hindi, you can’t just blabber; you’ll be left blinking or staring at the ceiling and interior decorations. If you don’t know English either, you might as well just look around and ask vague questions.”
Tamil Nadu BJP Chief K. Annamalai shared the video, questioning Chief Minister M.K. Stalin about the DMK’s stance on language policy.
TN CM Thiru @mkstalin hasn't realised that his attempts to divert the misgovernance in the State to a non-existent Hindi imposition haven't appealed to anyone in TN except a few paint-dabba-carrying folks.
However, Thiru @mkstalin seemed to have missed this speech by his… https://t.co/kOIKRafDYi pic.twitter.com/zqwd8DDUp5
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) February 28, 2025
Durai Murugan and DMK leaders have been accused of double standards on the Hindi language. Despite their public opposition, they have strategically used Hindi for political gains.
Former DMK Chief M. Karunanidhi justified appointing Dayanidhi Maran as a Union Minister and Kanimozhi to the Rajya Sabha, citing their proficiency in Hindi. Similarly, Durai Murugan’s son, Kathir Anand, speaks Hindi, and both Dayanidhi Maran and Kathir Anand used Hindi posters and addressed voters in Hindi to seek support from North Indian communities during elections.
Ironically, after benefiting from the language, Dayanidhi Maran later made a derogatory remark, stating that North Indians are fit only to clean toilets.
