DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran sparked a row after he claimed that in Tamil Nadu, as a Dravidian state, importance is given to women’s upliftment in comparison to North Indian states, where he claimed that women are told not to do jobs and are asked to stay inside the house, work in the kitchen, and give birth to children.

Speaking at an event in Chennai , DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran said, “The laptops our government had distributed are used by the beneficiaries to study and give interviews. This is what we are proud of. This is the reason we in Tamil Nadu ask you to study. But in the states in northern India, women are told not to do jobs and are asked to stay inside the house, work in the kitchen, and give birth to children. But Tamil Nadu is a Dravidian state, where importance is given to your upliftment.”

His remarks sparked a row, with the BJP slamming and condemning his remarks.

BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan Reacts

Calling DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran’s remarks “highly indecent,” BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan questioned how an MP could insult people from other states.

She urged Dayanidhi Maran and other DMK leaders to stop discriminating against people from other states.

“Dayanidhi Maran and all other DMK leaders should stop discriminating against our brothers and sisters from other states. I belong to Tamil Nadu too, but I will talk about the pride of my state, not degrade my sisters and brothers of other states. When I was the LG of Puducherry, we gave laptops to students four years ago. Dayanidhi Maran is not giving laptops. They are sticking their photos on the laptops and are threatening children to remove those photos… There are DMK MPs in the Parliament who sit with MPs of other states, how can they degrade people of other states?… Women are leading across so many sectors of the government and industry… This is a highly indecent comment by Dayanidhi Maran, and we highly condemn it,” Tamilisai said.

Union Minister of Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu Reacts

Dismissing DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran’s remarks as “political statements,” Union Minister of Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu said that “great progress” is happening in states ruled by the BJP.

“These are all political statements. If you look at the reality, all the good things are happening in the NDA states. All the progress, the development and the standards that India is setting at a global level, these are all happening when there is a double-engine government set-up. You see Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and other states where there is a double-engine government, you are seeing great progress happening. Tamil Nadu is a state which has been duly respected by BJP for a long time. They have been respecting the culture, traditions, language, community, everything. North, South, West, East, North-East, all the regions are properly respected under the NDA government and that result you will see in the coming elections in Tamil Nadu,” Naidu said.

BJP’s Narayanan Thirupathy Reacts

BJP leader Narayanan Thirupathy also condemned Dayanidhi Maran’s statement and demanded an apology.

“I don’t think Dayanidhi Maran has any common sense. So this is the problem. I strongly condemn Dayanidhi Maran. He has to apologise to the people of India, particularly the Hindi-speaking people, whom he says are uneducated and uncivilised,” Thirupathy said.

DMK leader TKS Elangovan Extends Support To Dayanidhi Maran

Meanwhile, DMK leader TKS Elangovan supported Dayanidhi Maran, saying the party has worked for women’s rights from the beginning.

DMK leader TKS Elangovan said, “It depends on the party which is ruling the state. Now Congress is empowering women. There is no doubt that wherever Congress is ruling, they are doing good for the education of women… Here in Tamil Nadu, we fought for women and empowered them. We gave them education. We gave them employment. We have also reserved seats in government jobs. We have been working for the advancement of women’s rights from the beginning. In the north, there is nobody to fight for the women. That’s all.”

DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran’s Earlier Controversy

This is not the first time Maran has sparked a row. Earlier in 2023, he triggered controversy after claiming that people from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, who only learn Hindi, migrate to Tamil Nadu to perform menial jobs such as road cleaning, construction work, and cleaning toilets.