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.

Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.



Mumbai (PTI): Four members of a family in Pydhonie area of south Mumbai died last month due to rat poison, police officials said on Thursday.

The Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report has confirmed the presence of zinc phosphide in viscera (liver, kidney, spleen), stomach contents, bile, and abdominal fat samples of the deceased identified as Abdulla Dokadia (44), his wife Nasrin (35) and their daughters Aayesha (16) and Zaineb (13), said Deputy Commissioner of Police Pravin Mundhe.

"The watermelon sample also tested positive for zinc phosphide, while all other food items were negative. The report will be studied in depth. We will consult forensic doctors. Further probe in the case is underway," the DCP said.

ALSO READ:  Man dragged into river by crocodile in Vadodara; search ops underway

Zinc phosphide is used primarily as a highly toxic acute rodenticide to control rats and mice.

"The forensic experts who examined the viscera of deceased Abdulla Dokadia, Nasrin (35), Aayesha (16) and Zaineb (13) found traces of zinc phosphide. It is, however, unclear whether the rat poison was consumed accidentally (or on purpose). So far, we have found no strong reason why the whole family would take such an extreme step," another official said.

Further probe is being conducted by the JJ Marg police station, which has recorded statements of kin and neighbours, he added.

The Dokadia family, residents of Ghari Mohalla on Ismail Kurte Road, had hosted a get-together of relatives on the night of April 25. At around 1 am, hours after the guests had left, Abdullah Dokadia, his wife Nasreen, and daughters Ayesha and Zaineb ate pieces of a watermelon.

They suffered severe bouts of vomiting and diarrhoea in the early hours of April 26 and were rushed to a local hospital before being referred to the government-run J J Hospital where all four died during treatment.