Another Attempt to Stoke North-South Divide? Stalin Minister’s ‘Marry 10 Men’ Remark Sparks Massive Outrage

Chennai: After replacing the Indian Rupee symbol (₹) with the Tamil letter for ‘ru’ from ‘rubai’ (rupees in Tamil) in its state budget documents earlier today, the Stalin-led DMK government has once again attempted to deepen the cultural and linguistic divide between the North and South. His senior minister, Durai Murugan, also alleged that in North India, women are allowed "to marry five or ten men."

Durai Murugan's remarks come as the proposed delimitation exercise intensifies tensions between Tamil Nadu and the Central government amid the ongoing language row.

DMK Leader Sparks Outrage Over ‘Women Marry 10 Men’ in North India

Speaking in a public gathering, Murugan argued that unlike Tamil traditions, people in North practice and endorse polyarchy and polygamy. While giving reference of Draupadi's marriage to five Pandavas in the Mahabharata, he alleged that North traditions allow "one woman to marry five or ten men". 

Murugan was quote saying, "One man marries one woman in our culture. But in North India, one woman can marry five or 10 men. Also, five men can marry one woman. This is their culture. If one goes, another will come,"

Also Read: What Is ‘Ru’? Tamil Letter For ₹ That Has Created Divisive Language Row

The senior DMK leader, Murugan also said that North Indians come from “stinking culture” and warned that those insulting Tamil would have their "tongues cut off".

In context to population explosion in India, Murugan said that every Central Government asked Tamil Nadu to control population.. he said, "We did this then and now the population has reduced. But in North India, the population did not go down. They gave birth to 17, 18, 19 children. They have no other job," 

BJP Demands Apology From Stalin

BJP leader Amar Prasad Reddy on his social media post, launched a scathing attack on Murugan, seeking an apology from MK Stalin over the senior minister's remark, said it exposes the DMK's "deep-seated hatred" for North India.

Reddy tweeted, “Stalin must apologize to our North Indian brothers and sisters! This kind of derogatory remark is unacceptable and exposes DMK’s deep-seated hatred.”

"Stalin’s silence is proof of his party’s anti-North Indian mindset. He must take responsibility and apologize immediately!" he added.

The Stalin-led DMK government's handling of the proposed delimitation exercise has sparked a growing North-South divide, especially between Tamil Nadu and the Centre. Delimitation refers to the process of redrawing constituency boundaries based on population data, which has become a contentious issue.

This has intensified the pre-existing tensions, with political leaders from Tamil Nadu, including Chief Minister MK Stalin, accusing the Centre of undermining the state's interests.