'Chennai is sinking...': Annamalai fires back at DMK MP for saying BJP winning in 'gaumutra' states

A DMK MP on Tuesday triggered a controversy when he said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was winning elections only in 'gaumutra' states. "The people of this country should think that the power of this BJP is only winning elections mainly in Hindi heartland states, what we generally call gaumutra states," said Dr DNV Senthilkumar, DMK MP from Tamil Nadu's Dharmapuri, while speaking in the Lok Sabha.

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Senthilkumar referred to the BJP's resounding victory in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh. While the saffron party won big in these states, it came third in Telangana by winning 8 of the 111 seats it contested. 

The Congress, beaten down badly in the Hindi heartland, wrested Telangana from the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), headed by K Chandrashekhar Rao (KCR).  

Commenting on this result, many took to social media to suggest that the saffron party could not win in the southern region and that there was a clear "north and south divide" regarding party preference. However, this argument was countered by some who underlined that the BJP had doubled its vote share in Telangana from 7 in 2018 to nearly 14 per cent. The BJP's seat tally also went up from 1 in the previous polls to 8 in 2023.

Tamil Nadu BJP President K Annamalai slammed Senthilkumar and said he has possibly forgotten that the NDA alliance is in power in Puducherry and was in power in Karnataka until recently. 

Annamalai, BJP's firebrand leader in Tamil Nadu, said the arrogance of the DMK will be the prime reason for their downfall. "Chennai is sinking due to the misgovernance of DMK & and so is their level of discourse on the floor of the Parliament," the BJP leader said referring to the flood situation in the city due to heavy rain caused by cyclonic storm Michaung. 

"After calling our North Indian friends Pani Puri sellers, toilet constructors, etc., I.N.D.I. Alliance DMK MP, makes Gaumutra Jibes. @BJP4TamilNadu highly condemns this insensitive remark. He has possibly forgotten that the NDA Alliance is in power in Puducherry and was in power in Karnataka until recently. The arrogance of DMK will be the prime reason for their downfall," Annamalai wrote in a post on X.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reacted to the 'North-South divide' debate and urged the people to beware of those pushing this "divisive agenda". "May they be happy with their arrogance, lies, pessimism, and ignorance. But, beware of their divisive agenda." He said an old habit of 70 years can't go away so easily. "Also, such is the wisdom of the people that they have to be prepared for many more meltdowns ahead."