Row erupts over DMK MP's jibe at BJP's poll victories in Hindi heartland

New Delhi: Weeks after the 'Sanatan Dharma' controversy, Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin had to intervene to reprimand party leader Senthilkumar whose speech in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday stating that BJP’s electoral success was confined to the Hindi heartland of cow-worshipping states led to a furore.

The comments were expunged from the house proceedings, and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam MP later issued an apology for his remarks after a “strong reprimand” from Stalin. He said that he used a word “in an inappropriate way” and that he was apologetic for “sending the wrong meaning across”.

As his comments soon snowballed into a controversy, with several BJP leaders reacting, Senthilkumar soon apologised for his comments online. Outside Parliament, he told reporters that by his comments he sought to point out that the BJP is dominant only in northern India.

“Different parties have different ideologies, and the BJP concentrates in the Hindi heartland; it is difficult for them to penetrate the South of India. I have used the term earlier in my Parliament speeches and while I was making the comments, the chairperson, home minister and BJP members were there,” he said, adding that no one objected.

He soon issued an apology online. “Commenting on the results of the five recent state assembly elections, I have used a word in an inappropriate way. Not using that term with any intent, I apologize for sending the wrong meaning across,” Senthilkumar later posted on X.

Speaking on the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023, Senthilkumar said that the BJP may have won big in the assembly elections, but they will not be able to win in South India. “They see their strength as winning elections after elections and going after micromanagement. But why are they not being able to do it in Jammu and Kashmir? (sic),” he asked in his speech during discussions on the Bill.

Seeking to draw a distinction between the voting patterns in North and South India, Senthilkumar went on to add that the BJP’s power of winning elections is relegated to only the heartland states. “The people of this country should think that BJP's power of winning elections mainly lies in the Hindi heartland States … You cannot come to South India. See what happened in the election results in the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka. We are very strong over there,” Senthilkumar added.

In a statement, DMK organisational secretary RS Bharati said that Senthilkumar used a term that “could be misinterpreted”. “Upon learning this, the Honourable Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, the President of the Party, strongly reprimanded Senthilkumar's choice of words,” he said, asking party workers to avoid personal remarks in discussions on national issues.

In September this year, TN youth minister and Stalin’s son Udaynidhi said that Sanatan Dharma should be eradicated as it is against equality and social justice. His comments led to a huge controversy, with the BJP using the opportunity to question the intent of the INDIA alliance.

BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP GVL Narasimha Rao said that by making the comment, the DMK MP is venting his frustration.

“The kind of comments that Udhayanidhi Stalin has made about Sanatan Dharma, people of India have spoke against such comments. The cow is worshipped as a mother in Uttar Bharat (North India); it is part of Hindu culture, it is a part of Indian tradition. In every state in this country, including Tamil Nadu, the cow is worshipped. The people of the South will teach the INDIA bloc in 2024 (sic),” Rao said.

The Congress, too, sought to distance itself from the controversy. The party’s leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Choudhary said that the Congress has nothing to do with Senthilkumar's statement. “The Congress has nothing to do with it, we all respect ‘gau mata’ and if any individual is saying anything on the floor of the House, what does the Congress have to do with it (sic),” Chowdhury said.