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.

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Thane, Feb 23 (PTI): Maharashtra Forest Minister and BJP leader Ganesh Naik will on Monday hold a 'janata darbar' in Thane, a stronghold of Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena president Eknath Shinde.

Naik, guardian minister for neighbouring Palghar district, last month said he would be holding public grievance meetings in Thane too, triggering speculation that the BJP was preparing to challenge the dominance of ally Shinde's party in the area.

Notably, the BJP leader had initiated the 'janata darbar' (public hearing) concept in the state in 1990s, connecting people with the administration to address grievances.

On February 3, Naik addressed a 'janata darbar' at Vashi in Navi Mumbai township of Thane district and on February 21 in Palghar district.

Large hoardings have now been put up for Naik's janata darbar to be held near the collector's office in Thane city on Monday, which is being seen in some political circles as a direct challenge to the Shiv Sena's influence in the area.

Earlier, when asked about political implications of such an event, Naik had said the sole purpose of the 'janata darbar' was to resolve public's grievances.

Ganesh Naik's son and former MP Sanjeev Naik, has held multiple meetings with Thane BJP leaders to oversee preparations for the event.

During his visit to the venue on Saturday, Sanjeev Naik dismissed the speculation of his father's event challenging the dominance of ally Shiv Sena, and said such "baseless rumours" were being spread by opponents.

He reiterated that the ruling Mahayuti alliance, comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's NCP, remains strong and united.

Sanjeev Naik emphasised that the event is being held under the directions of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to all ministers in the state to hold 'janata darbar' at different places.

"The idea is to bring governance closer to the people. Instead of 5,000 persons travelling to Mantralaya (state secretariat) to get their grievances addressed, the minister will meet them locally and resolve their issues," he told reporters.

On the issue issue of illegal constructions in Thane, the former MP blamed the administrative negligence for the proliferation of unauthorised buildings and said the government would take necessary legal action to address the issue while ensuring people's concerns are taken into account.