After Ilaiyaraaja controversy, Yuvan Shankar Raja’s picture, caption triggers Dravidian debate in Tamil Nadu
India Today
Yuvan Shankar Raja, Ilaiyaraaja’s son, posted a picture with the caption, ‘Dark Dravidian, proud Tamizhan’, which has sparked a debate about Dravidianism in Tamil Nadu. TN BJP Chief Annamalai and Naam Thamizhar Katchi leader, Seeman, have reacted to it.
After Ilaiyaraaja’s words comparing Ambedkar to PM Modi were met with hostile comments on social media, now, his son Yuvan Shankara Raja’s Instagram post with the caption ‘Dark Dravidian, proud Tamizhan’, has resulted in a debate about Dravidianim among politicians in Tamil Nadu.
Ilaiyaraaja, faced severe backlash over his comparison of Modi to Ambedkar, forcing several Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders to extend support for the musician, while they blamed the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in Tamil Nadu over the issue.
Before this issue could die down, Ilaiyaraaja’s son, Yuvan Shankar Raja, shared a picture of him wearing a black T-shirt and lungi on his Instagram page with the caption ‘Dark Dravidian, Proud Tamizhan’.
Reacting to this, TN BJP President K Annamalai said, “If Yuvan is dark, then he (Annamalai) is much darker like a jungle crow and that he too is a pure Dravidian.”
Naam Thamizhar Katchi's leader, Seeman, reacted by stating that, “Just because someone is black, doesn’t mean they are Dravidian.”
“He is saying that he’s black and hence Dravidian. Everyone in South Africa is black. Does that make them Dravidian? Even a buffalo is dark. Does that mean it is also a Dravidian?”, questioned Seeman about Yuvan Shankar Raja's post.
Popular music composer, Ilaiyaraaja, in the foreword to the book "Ambedkar and Modi" said, "Ambedkar will certainly be proud of the Modi regime. Ambedkar and Modi have a lot in common. Both of them have experienced poverty and oppression. This book highlights one thing, and I recommend it to the younger generation".
