A day after her remark on Telugu speaking community in Tamil Nadu as migrants who accompanied the kings’ consorts and not natives sparked a controversy, actor Kasthuri found herself on the wrong side when she accused non-Brahmins in the government service as corrupt and invited the ruling DMK’s ire.
Former Union Minister and DMK Deputy General Secretary A Raja slammed the actor for her statement during a television debate that unlike Brahmins in government service, those from the non-Brahmin community, entering through reservation without merit are corrupt and amass wealth.
She made this remark while responding to a co-panelist from the non-Brahmin rationalist Dravidar Kazhagam (DK), the ideological mentor of the DMK.
This, he made it clear, is a despicable attempt to elevate the Brahmin community by downgrading others.
“It amounts to describing the marginalised as criminal tribes. Unable to digest the empowerment of the marginalised, this denigrates them by displaying hegemonic arrogance. She attempts to portray all the disadvantaged communities including backward, most backward and scheduled caste in bad light,” read a statement by the MP from the Nilgiris.
“By describing the women of the Telugu speaking community as servants at the harems of kings, she has denigrated womenhood. Further, it is laughable that the demonstration was to press for a law to protect Brahmins akin to the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act. They are trying to create an impression as though Brahmins are oppressed and face atrocities while such a situation does not exist in Tamil Nadu and the community is safe and secure,” He added.
Terming this as an outburst of Aryan hegemony, Raja said the “Dravidian Model Government will not be a mute spectator toward this. We will never allow Aryan hegemony to raise its head once again.”