Stalin speaks to Nitish Kumar amid ‘fake news’ of attacks on Biharis in Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin spoke to his Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar on Saturday amid concerns over the safety of Bihari labourers in Tamil Nadu, triggered by reports that the Tamil Nadu police have called fake.

The Tamil Nadu government will always stand to protect the migrant brothers, Stalin told Nitish Kumar. “Some people doing politics in this lowly manner on social media is highly condemnable,” the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister said in a statement.

“Migrant labourers need not fear. If there is any threat, you can reach out to the helpline numbers of the police department announced by the police,” Stalin said in a statement. Nitish Kumar said an official team from the state will probe the situation in Tamil Nadu whether Bihari migrant workers are being persecuted in Tamil Nadu or not.

Here is all you need to know about this Bihar-Tamil Nadu row:

1. Some unverified reports on social media claimed Hindi-speaking Bihari labourers have been subjected to hate crimes in Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu police dismissed these reports.

2. Nitish Kumar on Thursday expressed concern over the situation which he said came to his notice through newspaper reports. “I have come to know through newspapers about the attacks on labourers from Bihar working in Tamil Nadu. I have directed the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police of Bihar to talk to the officials of the Tamil Nadu Government and ensure the safety of the labourers from Bihar living there,” Nitish Kumar tweeted on March 2.

3. Tamil Nadu DGP Shailendra Babu said the videos doing the rounds on social media are fake. , “Somebody in Bihar has posted a false and misleading video regarding migrant workers from Bihar being attacked in Tamil Nadu. Two videos which are circulating on social media regarding the incident are false. The facts of the videos are twisted so as to appear that migrant workers living in Tamil Nadu are being attacked.”

4. “These two incidents happened earlier in Tirupur and in Coimbatore. In both cases, it was not a clash between the local people and migrant workers. One was a clash between two groups of north Indian migrant workers. The other was a clash between two groups of local residents in Coimbatore.”

5. Tamil Nadu Police said all Hindi-speaking people are safe in Tamil Nadu.

6. The reports created a ruckus in the Bihar Assembly with the opposition demanding Nitish Kumar’s resignation.

7. The videos which went viral were unrelated — one from Coimbatore, the Tamil Nadu Police said. The videos have no link with Bihari migrant labourers.

8. Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai issued a statement condemning such fake news and said the Tamil people believe in the concept of one world. “The general populace in Tamil Nadu is acceptive and welcoming of the contribution of our migrant brothers & sisters in the infrastructure development, manufacturing industry & service sector,” Annamalai wrote.

9. Annamalai, however, targetted DMK and said DMK stands for such division. “DMK’s MPs’ vile comments on North Indians, DMK minister calling them Panipuri wala, and their alliance partners demanding their exodus have triggered what we see today. The people, the Government & the Police, do not endorse the views of DMK & their alliance partners.The divide that DMK always stood for is coming back to bite them, and it is now their responsibility to fix this situation and is an opportunity for them to put an end to their defunct propaganda,” Annamalai said.

10. “Strict legal action will be initiated against those who deliberately post fake videos of migrant workers being attacked and spread fear and panic in the state,” chief minister Stalin said in his statement.