Call it ‘racist’ or ‘offensive,’ Nagaland has once again found itself at the center of a bitter political feud between the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party in Tamil Nadu and the state’s governor, RN Ravi. This time, RS Bharathi, a senior leader from the DMK, has stirred controversy with remarks that many have deemed offensive.
He allegedly said, “Even the people who eat dog meat had enough self-respect to chase the governor out of the state. We must not forget how much more self-respect Tamils who eat their food with salt have.”
Bharathi’s comments were made on Saturday, November 4, during a centenary celebration event for the late Chief Minister M Karunanidhi in Ambattur.
Bharathi’s remark alludes to the practice of consuming dog meat in Nagaland, a subject that has historically been used to perpetuate racist stereotypes and demean the people of Nagaland.
Instances of such behavior have been witnessed in the past. According to The News Minute, Bharathi’s reference to “salting food” is a common Tamil idiom employed to describe those with a sense of self-respect and dignity.
However, this ongoing confrontation between the Tamil Nadu state government and Governor RN Ravi is far from a novel occurrence. RN Ravi previously served as the governor of Nagaland from 2019 to 2020 and was also involved as the interlocutor for the Naga political talks until a falling out with the NSCN-IM led to his removal from Nagaland.
On September 10, 2021, shortly after RN Ravi, the then-governor of Nagaland, was transferred to the Raj Bhavan in Chennai, nearly all allies of the ruling DMK criticized his appointment, suspecting ulterior motives by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for assigning a former police officer to the position.
Since then, Governor RN Ravi, who previously held the role of deputy national security advisor to the Narendra Modi government after serving with the Intelligence Bureau (IB), has navigated a tumultuous journey in Tamil Nadu. On each occasion, the mention of Nagaland arises as DMK supporters argue that Nagaland did the right thing by “expelling” Ravi from the state. Meanwhile, some DMK supporters insist that Ravi should be compelled to leave the state, akin to what happened to him in Nagaland.
In the latest development, Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi criticized DMK leader RS Bharathi’s “insulting” remarks against the Naga community, wherein Bharathi referred to them as “dog eaters.” The governor’s office responded to these remarks on the social media platform X on Sunday, denouncing them as “scurrilous and unacceptable.”
“Nagas are brave, honest and dignified people. Thiru R S Bharathi a senior DMK leader publicly insulting them as ‘Dog eaters’ is scurrilous and unacceptable. I urge Mr Bharathi not to hurt a community of which the whole of India is proud.”-Governor Ravi
— RAJ BHAVAN, TAMIL NADU (@rajbhavan_tn) November 5, 2023
The statement issued read, “Nagas are a courageous, honest, and dignified community. Thiru R S Bharathi, a senior DMK leader, publicly insulting them as ‘dog eaters’ is scurrilous and unacceptable. I urge Mr Bharathi not to harm a community of which the entire nation is proud.”
In the wake of this controversy, supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have initiated a social media campaign on platform X, demanding an apology from Bharathi for his alleged racist remark, with some even suggesting that he should face legal consequences. Conversely, DMK supporters are rallying behind their leader, highlighting Governor RN Ravi’s prior imposition of a dog meat ban in Nagaland during his tenure, which was only overturned by the Gauhati High Court in June of this year.
Meanwhile, BJP supporters argue that the term “dog-eater” is offensive to the Nagas and have expressed support for their culinary traditions. DMK supporters, however, criticize the BJP for banning dog meat and question what is wrong with stating the fact that people in Nagaland consume dog meat and that there is nothing wrong in it.
Meanwhile, according to PTI, during an event, Bharathi prefaced his remark as “only an example” and emphasized that it should not be misconstrued. He purportedly stated, “When the people of Nagaland, who consume dog meat, with such a strong sense of dignity, compelled Ravi to leave their state, the dignity of Tamil people, who season their food with salt, should not be forgotten.”