Tamil Nadu’s ‘fake’ videos about attack on Bihar migrants and ensuing panic; who’s the culprit?

CM Stalin met and assured migrants of safety; also claimed that some people who could not stand the popularity of DMK were trying to remove it by fomenting trouble

Photo used for representational purpose only. iStock

Tribune Web Desk

Vibha Sharma

Chandigarh, March 7

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Tuesday met migrant workers at a factory and inquired about their welfare. While assuring the workers about their safety in the state, he was quoted as saying that they “will not have any problem while working in Tamil Nadu. The Tamil Nadu government has ensured your safety. The officials will support you.”

Workers too are believed to have told the CM that “they felt safe in Tamil Nadu” and “there is no threat”.

The meeting assumes significance in the context of rumours of attacks on migrant workers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in the DMK-ruled Tamil Nadu.

In fact, today was one of the many times in the past few days that Stalin, his ministers and officials tried to spread confidence among those from outside the state.

After Bihar CM Nitish Kumar expressed concern over alleged attacks, Stalin said, “Those spreading rumours on the attack against migrant labourers are against the harmony of India. The social media posts aimed at doing cheap politics are highly condemnable.”

Meanwhile, Mohammed Zubair, co-founder ofAltNews and a ‘fact-checker’, today tweeted on the media's role over what happened.“In my view, it’s not social media users but mainstream media, propaganda websites & youtubers which should be held responsible for their propaganda,” Zubair said.

So what happened?

It all started with videos alleging that migrant labourers were being “attacked and beaten up brutally” in Tamil Nadu. In one such video, a person was seen abusing and assaulting migrant workers, purportedly from Bihar, on a train.

The “false and fake” videos created apprehensions among the workforce, prompting many to return to their home states, according to reports.

Migrants returning from Tamil Nadu said they had come back for ‘Holi’ and would not like to go back to work if the situation did not improve.

Some videos were also used by certain mainstream news channels, who are now being accused of “not carrying due diligence and verification and misreporting”.

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar directed the state chief secretary and DGP to speak to officials in the Tamil Nadu government and ensure the safety of Bihar labourers.

The Tamil Nadu police clarified that migrant workers from Bihar were not being attacked in the state. State DGP C Sylendra Babu called the videos circulating on social media as “false” and “mischievous”. Bihar’s deputy CM Tejaswi Yadav also reiterated that the videos were “fake”. Governor RN Ravi also asked migrant workers in Tamil Nadu “not to panic”.

Tamil Nadu and Bihar governments issued warnings against those spreading such messages.Also, Tamil Nadu BJP chief Annamalai was booked for “inciting violence and promoting enmity between two groups”.

Annamalia, in turn, tweeted a video of Stalin to substantiate his claims of “DMK propaganda against North Indian brothers.”

“I understand DMK has filed cases against me for exposing their 7-decade propaganda against North Indian brothers. So, here is the video of what they spoke, which was mentioned in my press release yesterday. I challenge Fascist DMK to arrest me!,” he said.

The police also registered cases against two journalists of a Hindi daily. TN minister CV Ganesan said officials were closely engaging with migrant labourers.“Around six lakh migrant workers are currently working in the state and district administration is carrying out a survey to gather information on migrant labourers,” he said.

While Tamil Nadu deployed Hindi speaking and Bihar origin officials to spread confidence among migrants, the Bihar government also sent a four-member team of officials to look into the allegations. Two members of the Bihar team are from Tamil Nadu.

Gap in handling situation?

There seem to be gaps in handling of the situation following the rumoured attacks. There are a vast number of migrant labour from Bihar, UP, West Bengal, Odisha and north eastern states working in the hosiery hub of Tiruppur, Coimbatore and industries across the state

They alsowork at roadside tea-stalls, domestic help and drivers, and many have learnt the local language over the years they have spent in the Southern state.

So was it all smoke without fire?

These videos may have been“fake” but there are sufficient reports of “anti-Hindi” sentiments. Apparentlysome Tamil political parties and social organisations have also targeted migrants with accusations that they are snatching jobs of locals by accepting lower wages and poor living and working conditions.

Some DMK leaders have also publicly made remarks about migrant workers. Senior minister K Ponmudi referred to them as “capable only of selling paani puri here”.

Dayanidhi Maran compared “our boys, like Sundar Pichai and Satya Nadella” with Hindi-speaking youth “working in construction and as cooks” in Tamil Nadu.

Stalin too claimed in the past that the BJP was planning to bring people from Hindi-speaking people for political and electoral reasons.

Though speaking at Nagercoil today, Stalin alleged that some people who cannot stand the popularity of the ruling DMK which was delivering the “attractive” Dravidian model of governance were trying to “remove” it by fomenting trouble.

“They are making plans to remove this government by doing some harm to it. They are involved in planning communal and caste tensions and dividing people,” he claimed.

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