The North versus South debate flared up once again over DMK leader Dayanidhi Maran's alleged comments that the Hindi speakers from UP and Bihar come to Tamil Nadu to do menial jobs like construction work, cleaning of toilets etc.

       BJP National Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla shared the viral clip on X (earlier Twitter) and lashed out at the INDIA bloc for not taking a stand against it.

       Shehzad Poonawalla accused the INDIA bloc of attempting to divide the nation based on caste, language, and religion. He also condemned Maran's language as "unfortunate" and suggested it was not a coincidence considering the actions of other leaders

       “Once again an attempt to play the Divide and Rule card," Poonawalla wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

       In the post, he also criticised the DMK MP Senthil Kumar's objectionable comment in Parliament about North Indian states and Telangana chief minister Revanth Reddy's comment (when he was not a CM) that Telangana DNA was better than Bihar DNA.

       Meanwhile, Bihar BJP MP Giriraj Singh tweeted, “Do Nitish Kumar and Lalu Yadav agree with their coalition partner's opinion on Hindi-speaking people? They should clarify why DMK and INDIA block have so much hatred against Hindi-speaking people,"