Guv’s speech exemplifies anger against Dravidian model: DMK

CHENNAI: The ruling DMK on Friday lashed out at Governor RN Ravi for his critique of 'Dravidam' and said that his speech exemplifies anger against the Dravidian model of government and growth.

Penning a strongly worded editorial rebutting the Governor, DMK organ 'Murasoli' on Friday said that Governor RN Ravi has discovered that Dravidian parties have fuelled division. Asking the Governor to clarify who classified people on the basis of birth and insulted the majority people, the editorial extensively quoted Dr BR Ambedkar's interpretation of caste, and asked, "Who created and groomed the communal division? Who is fuelling the discrimination by preaching the pride of Varnashrama, Sanathana dharma and Vedic age? Does Dravidam fuel the division?"

Wondering if there could be a worse sectarian element than Manu who held women responsible for all evils, Murasoli said that the words of Manu denigrating women do not deserve to be uttered even. Manu's discrimination preaches that women must be kept under the control of men from birth to death, which even contemporary elite women would not accept, the DMK said that only a handful of people like Ayothithas Pundit had raised such questions a 100 years ago.

"Only the Justice Party raised it as an organization. Thanthai Periyar made people raise the questions. Anna and Kalaignar secured the legal rights for the people for the same. Incumbent CM M K Stalin is the shield protecting the rights now," the DMK said, adding that this was the reason the sight of Dravidian movement angers them. "It is not an individual Ravi's anger. It is a traditional anger. They are reflecting the anger of their ancestors," said the Murasoli editorial, a day after DMK treasure TR Baalu slammed Ravi for discrediting the Dravidian movement.

"He (Ravi) speaks more Dravidam than we do. He does not speak without a mention of Dravidam anywhere. It is a matter of pride for us," the editorial sarcastically said, reproducing the statement of Periyar that they (haters of Dravidam) do not fear the word Tamilan as much as Dravidam. "The governor is proving to us that we should not give up the word Dravidam," it said, reiterating that under the Dravidian model of growth, economy, education, society, thoughts and actions must develop simultaneously. "That is the growth envisioned by Periyar, Anna and Kalaignar. That is the Dravidian model of growth. The governor's speech exemplifies his anger against the Dravidian model of growth," it added.