Chaos erupted in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday as Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP TR Baalu labeled Union Minister L Murugan as ‘unfit to be a minister’ during the Question Hour on damages caused by natural disasters. The incident transpired when DMK MPs A Raja and A Ganeshmurthy sought information on government actions regarding the impact of heavy rainfall and flooding in Chennai and South Tamil Nadu in December.
While Baalu was addressing the House, Murugan, also from Tamil Nadu, interjected, leading to a heated exchange. Baalu accused Murugan of being unfit for Parliament and ministerial responsibilities. Union ministers Pralhad Joshi and Arjun Ram Meghwal confronted Baalu, alleging that his remarks were an insult to a Dalit.
Meghwal condemned the incident, stating, “TR Baalu was asking a question. A Dalit minister of our Council of Ministers stood up and simply said that you are asking irrelevant questions. And you called him unfit. He is also a Dalit and also comes from the SC community. (Baalu) called him unfit. This is an insult to the Dalit community. We want Baalu to apologize.”
Responding to the accusations, Murugan expressed his disappointment, asserting, “DMK is unable to tolerate that a minister from a downtrodden community is a minister. This is why he used a derogatory and unparliamentary word to insult my community and me.”
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) demanded an apology from Baalu and accused the Congress of supporting the DMK leader. Meghwal stated, “He (DMK MP TR Baalu) wanted to insult him (MoS & BJP leader L Murugan)…We have demanded an apology from him…Congress leaders also supported him (DMK MP TR Baalu).”
The incident underscores the intensifying political tensions in the Lok Sabha, with the BJP calling for accountability and an apology, alleging an insult to a minister based on caste, while the DMK faces criticism for its handling of the situation.
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