Another round of war of words broke out between DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran and the Bharatiya Janata Party after the former used the proverb “jobless barbers catch hold of cats to shave its fur” against the saffron party over his old remarks on north Indians.

Dayanidhi Maran alleged that those involved in spreading his old videos, especially the BJP, want to gain "political mileage" by creating a ruckus in society.

Responding to the question of a reporter that old videos of his comment related to north Indians and other senior DMK leaders are going viral on social media, the DMK MP said, “There is a saying – 'jobless barbers catch hold of cats to shave its fur'. These people want to create some kind of ruckus, particularly the IT wing of the BJP, which is involved in this. They are trending it at the national level for their political mileage, which will not materialise.”

Reacting to the 'jobless barbers' remarks made by Maran, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said these remarks reflect the elitist and casteist mindset of the DMK.

"DMK at it again. After insulting Sanatan, Hindu Dharma, North Indians and Hindi, Maran now insults barbers and displays his elitist and casteist mindset. Instead of apologising, Dayanidhi Maran calls those spreading and reacting to his rants on North Indian Brothers and Sisters the work of a 'Jobless Barber'. Rahul Baba is busy doing photo ops with kisan, mechanics, etc Will he say if this statement is part of 'Mohabbat ki Dukaan'?" Poonawalla wrote on social media on X.

Earlier, a clip of Maran went viral, in which he allegedly said Hindi speakers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar who came to Tamil Nadu ended up doing construction work or cleaning roads and toilets.

Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai also lashed out at Maran's jobless barber remark and said DMK MP excels at degrading someone by his profession or language.

"Degrading someone by profession or language seems to be the only thing DMK MP Thiru Dayanidhi Maran excels in. Instead of apologising, Thiru Dayanidhi Maran calls those spreading and reacting to his rants on our North Indian brothers and sisters the work of a 'jobless barber'. With this constant degrading, it is only evident that even the continuous taste of electoral defeat doesn't seem to shake the resolve of the leaders in the I.N.D.I. Alliance," Annamalai posted on X.

Speaking to news agency PTI, Annamalai on Tuesday said, "He (Maran) is a repeat offender. The video could be four-year-old, but his intentions are not old, and they (DMK leaders) keep doing this."

What did Dayanidhi Maran say?

Recently, a video clip of an alleged derogatory remark made in March 2023 by Maran about workers hailing from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar was widely circulated on social media. It led to a war of words between the BJP and Tamil Nadu's ruling Dravidian party.