‘To speak disparagingly of entire UP, Bihar is reprehensible’: Tejashwi Yadav on DMK MP’s Dayanidhi Maran’s ‘clean toilets’ remark

"We look upon DMK as a party which shares our ideal of social justice. Its leaders should avoid saying things that run counter to the ideal", Tejashwi further said.

tejashwi yadav dayanidhi maran speech hindi heartland

DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran and Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav. (Express file photos)

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav Sunday condemned Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP Dayanidhi Maran’s purported speech where he allegedly remarked that people hailing from the Hindi heartland states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh come to Tamil Nadu to do menial jobs like cleaning toilets.

“Had the DMK MP highlighted caste iniquities, had he pointed out that only people from some social groups took up such hazardous jobs, it would have made sense,” he said, according to news agency PTI. “But to speak disparagingly of the entire populace of Bihar and UP is reprehensible. We condemn it. We believe that people should be respectful towards those coming from other parts of the country,” he added.

VIDEO | “The DMK, a party of M Karunanidhi, believes in social justice. If a member of their party has said something like that about the people of UP and Bihar, then that is condemnable, and we don’t agree with such remarks,” says Bihar Deputy CM @yadavtejashwi on DMK MP… pic.twitter.com/ysV9mIFP7S

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 24, 2023

“We look upon DMK as a party which shares our ideal of social justice. Its leaders should avoid saying things that run counter to the ideal,” Tejashwi added. RJD and DMK are members of the Opposition INDIA bloc.

Tejashwi’s statements came after an unverified account on social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) posted an old video where Maran can be heard saying that people from Tamil Nadu who learn English get respectable salaried jobs, while those from Bihar and UP who learn Hindi “are coming to Tamil Nadu to build our houses, roads and clean toilets”. He was talking about the importance of education in English language.

VIDEO STORY | “Stop insulting people of Bihar,” @rsprasad lambasts on DMK MP Maran’s remarks

Watch: https://t.co/DtJea98wlz

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Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP and former Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad also reacted to Maran’s speech and said, “Stop insulting the people of Bihar.” “Labourers from Bihar migrate because of the condition of the state caused by INDI Alliance CM Nitish Kumar. If someone works with their hands, will you insult them like this?… Hindustan is united, anyone can work anywhere,” he added.

(With PTI inputs)

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