DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran sparked an uproar after he said that Hindis from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar who came to Tamil Nadu ended up doing construction work or cleaning roads and toilets. Footage of the DMK MP's statement went viral and was shared by BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla, who slammed the INDIA bloc leaders from the two states for not speaking out against the DMK MP.

In the clip, Maran compares people who have learned English and those who have learned only Hindi and says that people who have learned English end up in IT companies whereas people who have learned only Hindi do menial jobs.

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Reacting sharply to the DMK MP's remarks against the people of Bihar, BJP MP from Patna Ravi Shankar Prasad said that the DMK leaders should stop insulting the people of Bihar. “The people of Bihar were forced to go there because of the situation in the state under Nitish Kumar, who is a member of their INDI alliance,” the BJP MP said.

Shehzad Poonawalla accused the INDIA bloc of trying to divide the country's population on the basis of caste, language and religion and slammed the alliance's “inaction” towards DMK lawmakers. “Once again, an attempt to play the Divide and Conquer card,” Poonawalla wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

The BJP leader called the language used by Dayanidhi Maran “unfortunate” and added that the statement was not a coincidence considering the actions of other leaders.

He lashed out at INDIA bloc leaders from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar over Dayanidhi Maran's statements and asked why they remained silent. “Will Nitish Kumar, Tejashwi Yadav, Lalu Yadav, Congress, SP Akhilesh Yadav pretend this is not happening? When will they take a stand? asked Poonawalla.

BJP lists cases of 'north-south divide'

Shehzad Poonawalla said no action has been taken against another DMK MP, DNV Senthilkumar, who sparked controversy after he made statements against the Hindi heartland state during the winter session of Parliament.

Senthilkumar made the remarks while asserting that the BJP cannot win in South Indian states after the party's recent wins in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.

Poonawalla also hit out at Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra over the old incident.

In 2021, ahead of that year's Kerala Assembly elections, Wayanad Lok Sabha MP Rahul Gandhi, while addressing a rally, said he was used to a “different kind of politics” when he represented Amethi in Uttar Pradesh.

In 2022, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra defended former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi after he said Punjabis should unite and not let the 'bhaiye of UP, Bihar and Delhi' rule the state.

Poonawalla also touched on statements made by Tamil Nadu Parliament Speaker Udhayanidhi Stalin's son and Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy.

Recently, Tamil Nadu minister and DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin sparked a row after comparing Sanatana dharma to 'dengue fever' and 'malaria' and said that it should not only be opposed but also “eradicated”.

Moreover, after Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy assumed office, an old video of him resurfaced in which he commented on his opponent and former CM K Chandrashekar Rao saying that “the latter's DNA comes from Bihar.”

While mentioning the incidents, Shehzad Poonawalla said the INDIA bloc's agenda was to “divide and rule and insult Sanatana Dharma and divide the people of the country”.