Chennai: Tamil Nadu’s milk and dairy development minister Mano Thangaraj has been facing flak from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state for his alleged derogatory comments about Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) minister had tweeted an image of PM Modi prostrating before the ‘sengol’ (Tamil for sceptre) during the inauguration of the new Parliament building Sunday. In the caption, Thangaraj wrote: “Is he breathing? Dignity? Self-esteem?”
Following this, BJP state president K. Annamalai tweeted: “The Bedrock of Dravidian politics is Slander & Abuse (sic). As crooked as your thought, as wicked as your party & your forsaken ideology, your hatred for this land’s culture has no end, @Manothangaraj. The layers of onion have begun to peel faster than expected!”
Speaking to ThePrint on condition of anonymity, a senior BJP leader in the state said, “PM Modi, before receiving the sengol from aadheenams (chiefs of Tamil mutts), prostrated before it as a mark of respect, but that has been spoken about in such a derogatory manner. We condemn this. We demand the dismissal of the minister from the cabinet and his arrest.”
The tradition of handing over the sengol to symbolise the succession of rule has been prevalent in Tamil dynasties such as the Chola, Chera, and Pandya. However, political analysts in the state have questioned the use of a sceptre, which is symbolic of monarchy, in a democratic system.
The inauguration of the new Parliament building was boycotted by at least 20 Opposition parties, led by the Congress, over the decision to have PM Modi preside over the opening ceremony instead of President Droupadi Murmu.
The same day, wrestlers Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, and Sangeeta Phogat were detained by the Delhi Police after they attempted to march towards the new Parliament building to stage a demonstration against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, a BJP MP and former Wrestling Federation of India chief, who has been accused of sexual harassment.
The detention of the wrestlers only served to escalate the Opposition’s criticism against the ruling BJP.
ThePrint reached Thangaraj via calls for a response. The report will be updated if and when a response is received. Meanwhile, the tweet has been deleted from his account.
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)
Also read: ‘Sengol’, havan, prayer & remembering Gandhi — how Modi govt marked inauguration of new Parliament