Row erupts over A Raja’s “India has never been a nation” remark, BJP demands his arrest

Chennai: A controversy erupted on Tuesday after the opposition parties tagged a video of DMK leader A Raja purportedly making remarks that India has never been a nation, but a subcontinent with diverse cultures, drawing a strong reaction from the BJP that categorised the comments as “hate speech” and demanded his arrest.

DMK’s ally, Congress too slammed the DMK Parliamentarian for the purported remarks and asserted that one should exercise restraint while speaking. Raja’s certain remarks regarding Ramayana and Lord Ram also didn’t go down well with the national parties. In the video where he is seen addressing a party-organised meeting, Raja purportedly said, “India is not a (one) nation. Understand this well. India has never been one nation. One nation denotes one language, one tradition and one culture and only such characteristics make one nation.”

Claiming that India is not a nation, but a subcontinent Raja said, “What’s the reason? Here, Tamil is one nation and one country. Malayalam is one language, one nation and one country. Oriya is one nation, one language and one country. All such national races constitute India. So, India is not a country, it is a subcontinent that has various practices, traditions and cultures. Further, he said states like Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Delhi and Odisha, there were respective local cultures. “In Manipur, dog meat is eaten, which is a cultural aspect. In Kashmir, there is one culture. Every culture has to be recognised. If a community eats beef, recognise it, what is your problem? Did they ask you to eat? So, (that is) unity in diversity. We have differences and it has to be acknowledged.” Responding sharply, BJP in-charge of IT wing, Amit Malviya, who tagged the video in ‘X,’ said, “The hate speeches from DMK’s stable continue unabated. After Udhayanidhi Stalin’s call to annihilate Sanatan Dharma, it is now A Raja who calls for Balkanisation of India, derides Bhagwan Ram, makes disparaging comments on Manipuris and questions the idea of India, as a nation.”