'Samjha? Samajh lena': Kanimozhi shares video on Velu Nachiyar history over R-day row

DMK leader and Thoothukudi MP Kanimozhi shared a video on Velu Nachiyar made by the party with an English voiceover and subtitled in Hindi, taking a dig at the Union government for not including the State's tableau in the parade.

The video begins in the Kaun Banega Crorepati format, where a question "Where was the first Indian Queen to fight against the British from?". The options read, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Karnataka (all states except TN ruled by BJP). Once the answer (Tamil Nadu) was highlighted, the video listed out Velu Nachiyar's prominent historical details in just over two minutes.

The short video endeavours to impart knowledge on the unsung Tamil heroes who fought the British. It is expected there would be more videos in this series ahead of Republic Day. Kanimozhi shared a similar short video on VO Chidambaranar, who pledged his wealth to build a Swadeshi (Indian) ship to counter the trade monopoly enjoyed by the British.

The video ended with Rajinikanth's voice saying "Samjha? (understood?), Samajh lena (understand)".

The reactions follow the rejection of Tamil Nadu tableau by the Union government in the Republic Day parade. The State government and its people have decried this decision as a bias against Tamils, and an attempt to undercut the contribution of Tamil people in India's freedom struggle.

The Union government, however, said the call was taken after the selection process, and there is no ulterior motive behind it. 

Tamil Nadu's Chief Minister MK Stalin while condemning this act had said the tableau rejected by the Union government will be on display across the State.