On Friday, Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan emphasized that northern states symbolize “gaumudra” (the sacred cow symbol), contrasting it with “gaumutra” (cow urine). These comments were made in response to a controversial statement by DMK Lok Sabha member DNV Senthil Kumar. The MP from Tamil Nadu sparked controversy in Parliament on Tuesday by referencing the Hindi heartland states following the BJP’s recent electoral triumph in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan. Soundararajan condemned Kumar’s statement, labelling it as “unfortunate.”
“I am from Tamil Nadu and I have to say this, because it is very unfortunate that nowadays, north-south divide is being mentioned by some of the people. And I really felt very bad when a Member of Parliament from Tamil Nadu itself mentioned about northern states as ‘gaumutra’ states while differentiating them from southern states,” she said.
The Governor was speaking at a ‘Cultural Economy Conclave’ organised by the India Think Council and the Gujarat University here.
“I have to say that they (northern states) are ‘gaumudra’ states, not ‘gaumutra’. I am saying this because this divide should not be there. There should be respect. In ancient years, people of Tamil Nadu used to keep a ‘hundiyal’ (piggy bank) in front of God. They will put some money in it every day so that they can visit Kashi (present-day Varanasi in UP) at least once in their lifetime using that saved money,” said Soundararajan, who is also the Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry.
Governor Soundararajan said people of India are spiritually united and disapproved of efforts to divide them on regional lines.
“How can you divide people? Spiritually people are not divided. Politically some people want to divide, but that can not happen because people of this country are spiritually united,” she said in her address to students and faculty members of the university.
In Tamil Nadu, people don’t mention Kashi and Rameshwaram (temple town in the southern state) separately. People say Kashi-Rameshwaram. Because whoever visits Kashi, they also come to Rameshwaram to complete their spiritual tour. And those who visit Rameshwaram, also go to Kashi, she maintained.
“North-south divide should not be deepened. Kashi is in the north and there is Tenkasi (a town in TN) in the south…I am again telling those who want to divide…you will not be successful because our culture unites us,” said the Telangana Governor.
Speaking on the need to have a strong cultural economy, she said though “more than 20,000 temples were destroyed in the last 100 years in the country”, such places of worship are now being developed.