In a blatant anti-North hate speech, Tamil Nadu’s Revenue Minister has advised Tamil traders to “get rid of North Indian traders” from the state. He alleged that traders from the Northers states commit tax fraud. Public Works Department(PWD) Minister, on the other hand, has advised building contractors to not migrant workers from Northern states to dominate the labor market.
Speaking at an event organised by the Federation Of Tamilnadu Traders Association, Revenue Minister Moorthy said that 3 lakh traders in the state haven’t paid taxes and that “North Indian traders are committing tax fraud”. “How will TN see growth if taxes are not paid? The government will always stand with Tamil traders, and local traders should come forward to remove/get rid of North Indian traders from here”. News 7 reported that he also said, “Only Tamil traders should do business in TN. People from other states or countries should not do business here”.
PWD Minister EV Velu has talked along the same lines while addressing builders and contractors. He said, “Labourers from North Indian state should not become dominant in the field. TN’s economy will improve only when Tamils are employed”. This is nothing new for the followers of EV Ramasamy who specifically targeted the Brahmin community and called for their genocide.
Last month the Health Minister Ma Subramaniam had said that “North Indian” students were responsible for the increasing Covid-19 numbers in the state. Another minister in the DMK government, KN Nehru said mocked that Biharis don’t have brains. He said, “Biharis don’t have more brains(knowledge) than us. But 4000 Biharis work in Ponmalai, Trichy (railway) workshop. Lalu Prasad Yadav let them copy in railway exams and recruited them into Indian Railways. That is why only those from other states are standing at railway gates”.
Sekar Babu the HRCE minister had issued veiled threats to Bharatiyas from northern states residing in Chennai for voting BJP. The Finance Minister PTR Thiagarajan never fails to use the “cow urine”, and the “cow belt” jibes whenever he talks about states like MP, Bihar, and UP.
A well-known DMK orator Nanjil Sampath made a racist jibe in Tamil at “foul-smelling” people from UP. He said, “there is a goat which is so smelly no person from any of the southern states will go near it even if paid Rs.1000. A UP’ite goes near it and the goat runs away”. DMK politicians often accuse those from Northern states of snatching employment and business opportunities of Tamils as well.
Such continuous hate speeches result in public anger against those from North and manifest as hate crimes. Recently a young man selling cotton candy on the streets of Coimbatore was assaulted by the public and handed over to the police. He was mistook for a child lifter when helped a little girl cross the road. In 2021, Islamists had threatened the Marwari community and other “North Indians” to leave TN and forced them to shut their shops. Such elements will only feel emboldened with DMK ministers themselves asking for the “removal” of “North Indians” from specific fields and assuring support for the same.
