Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav on December 24 strongly condemned the statement allegedly made by Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP Dayanidhi Maran. In a video, which sources in the DMK have claimed is old, Mr. Maran purportedly said that Hindi speakers who came to Tamil Nadu from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar did menial jobs such as construction work and cleaning drains.
Since the video went viral on social media, Bihar BJP leaders have been criticising Mr. Maran for his alleged statement. They have also demanded a clarification from leaders of the INDIA (Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance) bloc, of which the RJD and DMK are a part, on whether they agreed with Mr. Maran’s remarks. Several BJP leaders and the party’s national spokesperson have shared the video on social media platform X.
Mr. Yadav pointed out that the late M. Karunanidhi-led DMK believes in social justice, and it was highly objectionable if any leader of the party had made such remarks. He stressed that the RJD did not support such statements, and that labourers from Bihar and U.P. were in demand from people across the country. “If they do not go to work there then things will come to a standstill,” Mr. Yadav said.
