DMK MP TR Baalu Calls L Murugan 'Unfit To Be Minister, MP'; BJP Alleges ‘Insult To Dalits’

DMK MP TR Baalu caused a commotion in the Lok Saha during the question hour on Tuesday with his ‘not fit to be a minister’ remark on BJP minister L Murugan. TR Baalu, while raising questions related to the central assistance to Tamil Nadu for damages caused by two cyclones in December 2023, said BJP minister L Murugan was not fit to be an MP or a minister.

L Murugan, Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying and I&B, intervened in Baalu’s speech to say that the question was irrelevant, an Indian Express report said.

Agitated by the interference, Baalu asked Murugan to sit but when he continued to speak, the DMK MP said, “You are unfit to be a Member of Parliament. You are “unfit to be responding as a minister also.”

TR Baalu’s statement caused a ruckus in the Parliament as treasury benches began raising slogans.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi slammed the DMK MP saying, “You are calling a Dalit minister unfit. The DMK government is unfit.”

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal also weighed in and said, “You take your words back. It must be removed from the record. You should tender an apology. You are a senior member of the DMK and we respect you. It does not mean you will call a Dalit minister unfit. We will not tolerate this disrespect to the Dalit community.”

Slogans demanding an apology from TR Baalu were raised from the treasury benches. In response, the DMK MPs also shouted slogans saying that voices from Tamil Nadu were being silenced.

Speaker Om Birla later said the comments would be expunged from the records.

DMK MP TR Baalu, while talking to reporters later, said it was “not an unparliamentary” remark.