CHENNAI: Defending her complaint against S Lois Sofia, hailing from Thoothukudi and pursuing higher studies in Canada, who raised slogans against BJP government on the flight to Thoothukudi on Monday, BJP State president Tamilisai Soundararajan on Tuesday raised suspicions that some movement might be behind Sofia and it should be investigated.
“The way Sofia expressed herself and the way she conducted herself was not that of a common passenger. So I had a suspicion that some movement might be behind her. So, I lodged a complaint with the airport authorities about the slogan-raising incident,” Tamilisai told mediapersons at the Chennai airport.
She said, “I went to Thoothukudi by the 10.20 am flight to take part in the event where more than 1,000 Devendrakula Vellalas joined the BJP. The flight landed. My seat No was 3 and Sophia’s seat No. was 8. When I crossed her seat, she stood up, raised her hands and shouted a slogan, ‘fascist BJP govt down down. First time, I just ignored her slogan. But she raised the same slogan again. But I kept quiet.”
Tamilisai said when she came to the airport reception, Sofia passed through that way staring at her.
“At that time, I asked her whether it was proper to raise slogan within the flight and she said she had freedom of expression to do that. I asked her if it was proper to express that freedom within the flight,’ she added.
On the charge that only because of the pressure given by Tamilisai, Sofia was arrested, Tamilisai denied that, saying “Had I thought of exerting pressure, I could have done that through some other means too."
Condemning DMK president M K Stalin’s tweet in support of Sofia, Tamilisai recalled Stalin slapped a person in Metro train last year.
“Would all political leaders agree to such slogans raised against them on flights? I did not violate any rules. I have the same rights like them as a woman leader. Can leaders of two political parties having differing views quarrel in the flight because they have freedom of expression ?”
‘Had it been a slogan against me, I would have ignored it’
Q: Would you be OK if Sofia had raised the slogan somewhere else?
A: Yes. Had Sofia raised this slogan somewhere else, I would have ignored it. See, very often we go for public meetings and there are such incidents and we just leave it at that. She should not have raised the slogan within the flight. Further, I strongly feel that it is not an emotional outburst. Within flight, such slogan-raising should not be encouraged. I suspected that Sofia’s slogan-raising would have been a preplanned one. Now, it has been proved with her tweet. The way she behaved created suspicion that she may be associated with some organisation.
Q: How does saying ‘fascist BJP down’ become a personal attack on you?
A: If she had raised a slogan against me, I would have ignored it. I am the State president of the BJP and any attack on the party is personal to me. People are posting umpteen number of memes against me every day. I am not fighting with them.
Q: Won’t this incident affect the image of their party in Tamil Nadu?
A: Definitely not. I have not done anything to damage the image of my party. When someone is belittling my party, I have the right to protect my party.