Nitish Kumar Concerned Over Attacks On Bihari Labourers In Tamil Nadu; Asks DGP And Chief Secretary To Speak To TN Counterparts

Bihar Chief Minsiter Nitish Kumar on Thursday (2 March) expressed concern over the alleged attacks on labourers hailing from the state in far-off Tamil Nadu.

Taking to Twitter, Kumar said he has instructed officials here to get in touch with their counterparts in Tamil Nadu and ensure security of labourers from Bihar, who are eking out a living in the southern state.

'I have learnt from newspapers that labourers from Bihar who are employed in Tamil Nadu are being attacked. I have asked the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police of Bihar to speak to officials in Tamil Nadu and ensure safety and security of Bihari workers there,' Kumar tweeted.

This comes a day after Tejashwi Yadav had visited the state to take part in Chief Minister MK Stalin's 70th birthday celebrations.

Kumar has been under attack from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Bihar for ignoring the plight of labourers for his political convenience.

Of late the state has been seeing an increase in the derogatory remarks being made against 'North Indian' (called 'Vadakkans' in Tamil) workers.

One such speech by Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) leader Seeman can be seen here.

Recently, a video of a Tamil man assaulting a Hindi-speaking migrant labourer in a train had gone viral on social media. A few days later, the accused was identified as Mahimaidas of Villupuram and arrested by the Railway Police.

In Chengalpattu, Kshetra Mohan Burman, a labourer from Bengal, lost his life after being brutally beaten by a group of local youth who suspected him to be a thief.

Many influential ideologues and political leaders, who declare themselves as ‘Dravidianist stock’, frequently indulge in calling north Indians as ‘pani puri sellers', 'pan parag vaaiyans' and worse. A significant section of Tamil media publishes and amplifies stories on the 'uncouth behaviour' of 'North Indian migrants'.

(With Inputs From PTI)

Also Read: Pani Puri Jibe: It Is Hate-filled Ignorance That Drives Rhetoric Of Self-Styled 'Dravidian Stock' Against 'North Indian' Migrant Labour