BJP National Secretary H. Raja had said, “Today it is Lenin’s statue in Tripura, next will be the statue of caste fanatic Periyar.”
Two days after communist icon Lenin’s statue was bulldozed allegedly by BJP workers in Tripura, father of Dravidian movement Periyar’s statue was vandalised by two men in Tamil Nadu.
The incident has come to light in the wake of a Facebook post by BJP national secretary H. Raja who called for bringing down the Periyar’s statue. After the Lenin’s statue was taken down, he had responded through a Facebook post saying there is no connection between Lenin and India. He asked what India’s connection with communists is. He said, “Today it is Lenin’s statue in Tripura, next will be the statue of caste fanatic Periyar.”
After facing huge backlash he deleted the post. Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam working president, M. K. Stalin also demanded his immediate arrest. BJP state unit, however, distanced itself from the remark.
The statue was situated in the Municipal Corporation Office of Vellore. The statue was vandalised at around 9 PM and statue’s glasses and nose were broken.
The police have arrested two persons in suspicion of the vandalism. Police confirmed that one of the suspects is a BJP worker and another one is a CPI worker. However, both were drunk.
EVR Ramasamy popularly known as Periyar is widely revered social reformer in Tamil Nadu. He is the founder of Dravidar Kazhagam, a self-respect movement for Dravidian people. The movement had a widespread impact on the state’s social and political culture. Even today the Dravidian ideologies continue to dominate the politics in Tamil Nadu.
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