CHENNAI: “If I eat a burger, it’s an issue. If I cut my hair, it’s an issue,” Chennai Mayor R Priya wrote on X after she was mocked on social media over her new haircut. Questioning why her personal choices were repeatedly turned into controversies, she asked whether she was being singled out because she is a woman or because of the community she belongs to.
A video of Priya entering the council hall for Friday’s meeting went viral, with some users, including TVK supporters, circulating edited versions mocking her appearance. Priya also asked why those who advocate women’s rights were silent when she faced such attacks. “When it comes to me, I have no idea where the feminists and those who claim to stand up for women disappear,” she said.
“Being a woman in public life does not give anyone the right to judge her based on her appearance, lifestyle, or personal choices,” she wrote, adding that every woman was entitled to dignity, self-respect and a life on her own terms.
DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi condemned the attacks and asked why Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay had not stopped his supporters from targeting Priya. “While the CM says he ‘won’t let anyone speak wrongly about any woman,’ why then has he allowed these attacks on Mayor Priya by his fans and cadre?” she asked.
Former MLA TRB Rajaa said TVK resorted to vulgar abuse whenever it could not answer political criticism. He accused its supporters of trying to silence women through personal attacks. “Criticise us politically. We will answer politically. Abuse our people and face the law,” he said.
Priya had lodged a complaint with the city police in July, alleging that unidentified people were repeatedly contacting and harassing her, and circulating defamatory content online.
The mayor could not be reached for a comment despite repeated attempts.
