DMK should not talk of social justice, says BJP, accuses it of 'intimidation'

Murugan accused the DMK of having 'no locus standi' to talk on social justice and alleged two of their Members of Parliament had made disparaging remarks against Scheduled Caste people.

Referring to a legal notice to him from DMK on his remarks on parent document vis-a-vis the site where 'Murasoli' office is situated, he said the Dravidian party was trying to 'intimidate' him and the BJP on the issue. However, he and the Saffron party cannot be cowed down by such tactics, he said adding he would face any number of such notices.

R S Bharathi, DMK Rajya Sabha MP and a trustee of Murasoli Trust sent the notice to Murugan on Tuesday. The MP, who is also the organisation secretary of the DMK asked Murugan to withdraw his statement or be ready to face a civil suit seeking Rs one crore damages.

Rather than contemplating such steps and go in for 'intimidation,' the BJP leader said the DMK should come forward to lay bare the truths on the matter. He wondered why the party should hesitate to disclose the original documents if it owned the property.

Allegations were made by PMK last year and later the BJP that the premises where the DMK's mouthpiece 'Murasoli' is situated was previously a site that housed a government students hostel for the SCs. The allegation was that it was a 'Panchami' category of land assigned for SCs during the British era.

DMK, however, dismissed such claims and released a 'patta' for the land. The BJP has been steadfast in its demand for the original parent documents from the DMK to prove its claim of ownership for the land from where Murasoli functioned.

The parent document row also reached the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and a magistrate court here. Murugan said DMK 'lied' that the Centre stopped scholarship for SC and Scheduled Tribe students though the union government announced about Rs 59,000 worth assistance aimed at benefitting four crore students.

In its 2016 manifesto for Assembly elections, the DMK assured facilitation for farmers to independently market their produce and when the Centre enacted agriculture laws, which covered facilitation for them, the Dravidian party cried foul, he said. ''Rather than welcoming the farm laws, they are engaging in a campaign of false propaganda, misinformation among the farmers,'' Murugan said.

All such aspects go on to demonstrate the 'double standards' pursued by the DMK on all key issues to deceive the people continuously, he said.