Chennai: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) asked on Monday that Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker M Appavu apologise for his "communal remarks" in which he stated that Catholic Christians were responsible for the state's progress and that without them, the state would become Bihar.

A month-old statement by DMK politician M Appavu crediting the state's progress to Christians and claiming that Tamil Nadu would have resembled Bihar if Catholic Christians had not been present has stirred a storm. M Appavu is also the Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.

Catholic Fathers and Sisters have only helped me to get to where I am now. Your government is the Tamil Nadu Government. You established this government. This government was founded as a result of your prayers and fasting. According to media  reports, "the major cause for social justice and Dravidian model governance is Catholic Christian and Christian fathers."

Appavu and DMK LMA Inigo Irudayaraj attended the centennial celebrations of St Paul Seminary in Tiruchirappalli on June 28. Appavu's month-old monologue has now gone viral on social media. Over the matter, the BJP attacked the DMK and denounced the Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker.

Tamil Nadu BJP state vice president Narayanan took to social media and critisised Appavu for his speech."Is this DMK's Secularism? They have lost their claim to call themselves a secular party. Now this proves that DMK is an anti-Hindu party," he said.

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