Chennai:
Amid the ongoing conflict between Tamil Nadu’s ruling party, the DMK, and the state’s governor, a worker of the ruling DMK has publicly used insults and issued direct threats to the governor, RN Ravi. For skipping parts of the state government’s approved speech including the names of tall leaders like BR Ambedkar and Periyar. do He said that if Governor RN Ravi cannot take Ambedkar’s name, he should go to Kashmir so that he is shot dead by extremists.
“In Tamil Nadu, if this man refuses to utter the name of my ancestor Ambedkar, who gave the Constitution of India, do I have the right to hit him with a slipper or not? Didn’t you take an oath in his name? Constitution? Wasn’t it Ambedkar, my grandfather, who wrote it? If you don’t name him, you go to Kashmir. We ourselves will send an extremist. Shoot him dead,” Shivaji Krishnamurthy, DMK platform speaker, said.
The DMK distanced itself from the remarks, saying the party respects the Governor and the hateful comments were the personal speech of an individual.
BJP has demanded strict action against this comment. Calling Mr Krishnamurthy a “notorious DMK abuser”, the BJP said it wondered if the DMK had terrorist links.
BJP leader Khushbu Sundar attacked Chief Minister MK Stalin, blaming him for the “new culture”.
“I’m not surprised at all. This is the new culture under CM @mkstalin. I pity the man in the grave who left a legacy. I’m sure he’ll be churning in his grave. Such men don’t deserve to be. A public platform. They Raises them and insults their mother. Appalling,” he tweeted.
BJP state vice-president Narayanan Tripathi demanded immediate arrest of Mr. Krishnamurthy. He told news agency ANI, “He should be put under the NIA scanner as he said he will send terrorists to kill Governor Ravi in Jammu and Kashmir.” BJP president K Annamalai said the DMK has always indulged in ‘disgraceful’ politics. “They have always abused leaders holding high constitutional positions including Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We have written to Tamil Nadu DGP to take immediate action. Police’s hands are tied. Local DMK leaders treat police stations as their own offices,” Mr. Annamalai told ANI.
The latest row between the Governor and the state government began on Monday after Governor N Ravi walked out of the Assembly. After the Assembly passed a motion to record only the Governor’s keynote speech. Which was reportedly prepared by the state government and approved by the Speaker.
The Governor skipped parts of the speech prepared by the state government which referred to secularism, described Tamil Nadu as a haven of peace and mentioned leaders like Periyar, BR Ambedkar, K Kamaraj, CN Annadurai and Karunanidhi, after which the Chief Minister moved the resolution.
