COIMBATORE: AIADMK and TVK members have accused DMK’s Mettupalayam candidate Kavitha Kalyanasundaram of allegedly wiping off kungumam (vermillion), which was applied on her forehead by a Dalit woman during a street campaign.
A video of the incident, shared by AIADMK and TVK members, accused Kavitha of ‘showing her real face’, despite being a member of the HR&CE Department’s trustee appointment committee in Coimbatore.
However, the DMK’s IT wing responded by releasing another video clarifying that Kavitha was merely wiping off the sweat from her forehead, and accused the AIADMK and the TVK of politicising the issue in a bid to gain votes in Mettupalayam constituency where the winds are in favour of the DMK.
"Opposition members stated that DMK is identifying itself as a secular party. However, the functionaries are hurting the sentiments of Hindus. Now, it has come to light that DMK candidate Kavitha Kalyanasundaram is seen removing the kungumam as it was placed by a Dalit woman. Voters should wake up and teach them a lesson through the democratic process," said an AIADMK member.
"After knowing that both AIADMK and the TVK would be defeated in the upcoming election due to the massive support for Kavitha, they are spreading such rumors to defame the DMK. This will not work out, and the DMK candidate will win with massive support," said a DMK functionary in a video released by the party’s IT wing.
"Due to the hot weather, Kavitha’s face was sweaty and she wiped it off. You can observe it is a regular habit of hers during her campaign," a DMK functionary said.