DMK MP Senthil Kumar created a huge controversy on Tuesday, December 5, after he remarked that the BJP wins elections only in the "Gau Mutra (cow urine)" states while referring to the Hindi heartland. The BJP recently won Assembly elections in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.
Participating in a debate in the Lok Sabha on two Bills related to Jammu and Kashmir, Senthil Kumar said, "The people of this country should know that the power of the BJP is only restricted to winning elections in the Hindi heartland states or what we generally call ‘gau mutra’ states."
The DMK MP said, "You (BJP) cannot come to South India. You see all the results of what happens in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. We are very strong over there."
"We will not be surprised if you convert all these states into Union Territories so that you can come to power indirectly because you can never dream of setting foot over there and taking control of all the southern states," he said.
However, after facing criticism from the BJP and other parties, Senthil Kumar in a post on X (formerly Twitter) apologised for his statement.
“Commenting on the results of the five recent state assembly elections, I have used a word in a inappropriate way. Not using that term with any intent, I apologize for sending the wrong meaning across.” (sic), the MP wrote on X.
Congress MP Karti Chidambaram also slammed the DMK leader for his choice of words and said, "Very unfortunate choice of words. Unparliamentary. Senthil Kumar must forthwith apologise and withdraw his comments."
The comments from the DMK leader came in the wake of some political leaders referring to the recent Assembly election results as a 'North-South divide' after the BJP trounced the Congress in the Hindi heartland states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, while the Congress could manage to win in Telangana only.
The DMK party also reprimanded the Dharmapuri MP for his comments. “Commenting on the results of the five state assembly elections, Dharmapuri Member of Parliament Senthilkumar used a term that could be misinterpreted. Upon learning this, the Honourable Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, the President of the Party, strongly reprimanded Senthilkumar's choice of words.”
“On behalf of the Party's high command, I urge everyone to maintain civility and cultural respect when speaking in public. Everyone should adhere to the principles of Duty, Dignity, and Discipline as emphasized by Perarignar Anna. Additionally, in discussions on national issues, I urge you to avoid personal remarks,” DMK organizational secretary RS Bharati said in a statement.
Meanwhile, BJP Rajya Sabha member GVL Narasimha Rao demanded that the Tamil Nadu Government register a case against state ministers for making "hate speeches" against Sanatan Dharma and sack them from their posts.