DMK leader A Raja stokes controversy over Shudra remark
Chennai, Sep 13: DMK deputy general secretary A Raja stoked a controversy over his Shudra remark and drew BJP's ire with the saffron party accusing him of spewing hatred against a community to appease others.
Shudras, the Nilgiris MP claimed, were insulted in Manusmrithi and denied equality, education, employment and entry into temples.
"You are a Shudra till you remain a Hindu. You are the son of a prostitute till you remain as Shudra. You are a Panchaman (Dalit) till you remain a Hindu. You are an untouchable till you remain a Hindu," Raja said while addressing a meeting of Dravidar Kazhagam here.
In a video that went viral in social media he was heard saying "how many of you wish to stay as children of prostitutes? How many of you wish to remain untouchables? Only if we are vocal about these questions, it will become elemental in breaking Sanathana (dharma)."
The former Union Minister claimed that the Supreme Court had ruled that if one is not a Christian, Muslim or Persian, then one has to be a Hindu. "Is there any other country meting out such cruelty?" he wondered.
Raja, who took to Twitter to express his view, asked "Who are Shudras? Are they not Hindus? Why have they been insulted in Manusmrithi and denied equality, education, employment and temple entry. The Dravidian movement, as a saviour of 90% of Hindus, questioned and redressed these, cannot be anti-Hindus."
Flaying him, BJP State chief K Annamalai termed his justification as "a sorry state of political discourse in Tamil Nadu."
"@arivalayam MP has yet again spewed hatred against one community with the sole aim of appeasing others. Very, very unfortunate mindset of these political leaders who think they own Tamil Nadu," he tweeted.
BJP Mahila Morcha national president Vanathi Srinivasan said Raja has insulted the women and Hindus on numerous occasions. This time too, he has spewed venom stating that all Shudras are children of prostitutes and they will remain so until they remain in Hinduism.
Who are Sudras? Are they not Hindus? Why they have been insulted in Manusmrithi denied equality, education, employment and Temple entry. Dravidian Movement as saviour of 90% Hindus questioned and redressed these, cannot be anti-Hindus.
— A RAJA (@dmk_raja) September 13, 2022
Sorry state of political discourse in Tamil Nadu. @arivalayam MP has yet again spewed hatred against one community with the sole aim of appeasing others.
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) September 12, 2022
Very very unfortunate mindset of these political leaders who think they own Tamil Nadu. pic.twitter.com/UntspDKdQ3
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BJP will be in power at Centre for at least 30 years: Amit Shah
New Delhi, Mar 29 (PTI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah has exuded confidence the BJP will remain in power at the Centre for at least 30 years due to its consistent performance.
In a democracy, he said, the victory of any party depends on its hard work and if it toils day in and and day out and "if you live not for yourself but for the country, victory will be yours".
"When I was the national president of the BJP, I had said the BJP will remain in power for the next 30 years. Only 10 years have gone now," he said at the Times Now Summit 2025 Friday night.
The senior BJP leader said when a party performs well, it gets the trust of the public and the confidence to win. "But those who do not perform do not have this confidence," he said.
Asked about the Uniform Civil Code, the home minister said all BJP-ruled states will introduce the UCC one-by-one as it is one of the key agendas of the BJP since was formed.
The home minister said since its inception, the BJP's resolve has been to introduce the UCC in the country.
"It will come. It was the decision of the Constituent Assembly (to introduce UCC). The Congress might have forgotten it but we have not. We said we would abrogate Article 370. We have done that. We said we would construct a Ram temple at Ayodhya. We have done that too. Now UCC remains. We will do that too," he said.
Shah said the Uttarakhand government has already enacted the law for implementation of the UCC in the state.
"One by one, all the BJP-ruled state governments will introduce it. Gujarat has already set up a committee for it. It is an ongoing process. All states will bring it as per their convenience," he said.
Asked about the alleged discovery of a huge amount of cash at the Delhi residence of High Court judge Yashwant Varma, the home minister said the Chief Justice of India has taken cognisance of the issue and ordered an inquiry (through a committee of three high court judges).
"We are cooperating with it. We should wait for the outcome of the committee constituted by the chief justice," he said.
The Supreme Court on Friday rejected a PIL seeking Delhi Police to register an FIR over the alleged discovery of burnt wads of cash from Justice Varma's residence.
Shah said, "When no FIR can be registered, how can a seizure be carried out? The FIR can only be registered with the Chief Justice of India's permission."
Asked whether the RSS interferes in the functioning of the Modi government, the home minister said there has been no interference from the Sangh, the BJP's ideological fountainhead.
"The RSS has been preparing patriots for the last 100 years. I have learnt from the RSS how to keep patriotism at centre while keeping many dimensions together. There is no question of interference," he said.
Asked about the prevailing internal security situation, Shah said as union home minister he got three problems as legacy issues: Naxal violence, terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and insurgency in the Northeast.
"In last 10 years, 16,000 youths have surrendered in these three theatres. As the home minister of the country, it is my duty to bring peace in all these places. It is the priority of the prime minister and naturally it is my priority too. Because of the problems, development stopped in these places," he said.
Asked about the government's stand on the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, the home minister said he did not want to comment on it as it is subjudice.
"I am sure the Supreme Court will deliver an appropriate order on it. We will definitely obey the court order," he said.
The Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, prohibits the conversion of any place of worship and aims to maintain the religious character of such places as it existed on August 15, 1947, with the exception of the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case.
The Supreme Court is currently dealing with multiple petitions challenging the Act.
Asked why the government has not yet filed an affidavit in the court on the subject, Shah said, "We will certainly file an affidavit".
