Tenkasi: A video of a DMK functionary in Tamil Nadu’s Tenaksi, purportedly calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi “Narakasura” and calling for his “elimination” went viral on Wednesday.
In the widely circulated clip, DMK Tenkasi South District Secretary J Jeyabalan is heard saying in Tamil, which roughly translates to, “Modi is desperate to snatch your votes; he is another demon, like Narakasura. Only by eliminating such a person can Tamil Nadu truly benefit. We must all stand together, fight this battle unitedly, and emerge victorious.”
The speech was allegedly made during a protest against Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll, at New Bus Stand in Tenkasi on November 11. Tenkasi MP Rani Srikumar and Sankarankovil MLA E Raja were also seen standing alongside Jeyabalan in the video.
Reacting to the video, BJP Tamil Nadu Unit President, Nainar Nagendran demanded that Jeyabalan be arrested as he threatened the Prime Minister.
“Issuing a murder threat without any respect or platform decency towards a leader holding the highest constitutional office in the country, and moreover a great leader admired across the world, raises doubts as to whether there is any law and order in Tamil Nadu,” he wrote.
He also said the fact that Tenkasi MP Rani Srikumar and Sankarankovil MLA E Raja, who were present on stage, remained silent without restraining the district secretary’s cruel speech, exposes the violent attitude and tendency of the entire party.
BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya too had circulated the video stating that the lawlessness that thrives under the DMK regime, where hate-filled extremism is normalised and party leaders feel emboldened to issue death threats against the Prime Minister.
Meanwhile, R S Bharathi, Organisational Secretary of DMK, said they will review the whole video to understand the context before taking any decision.
“Right now, we are a bit busy with SIR protests, we’ll get around to reviewing the video soon,” Bharathi told PTI.
Despite many attempts, Jeyabalan could not be contacted for his views.
