Tamil Nadu polls: DMK leader’s despicable abuse of CM’s mother
The quality of political speeches hit rock bottom in Tamil Nadu with DMK deputy general secretary A Raja making unsavoury comments directed at CM Edappadi K Palaniswami’s mother, who passed away last year. Apart from landing himself in a major controversy a week before the Assembly polls, Raja has become an embarrassment for the main opposition with his sexist remarks. The discomfort in the DMK leadership was evident, with party president M K Stalin quickly warning members against making undignified comments and MP K Kanimozhi cautioning them against making derogatory comments about women. Both, however, did not name Raja. The Chennai police booked Raja under IPC sections 153 (provocation with intent to cause riot), 294b (foul language in a public place) and 127 (disturbances at election meetings) of the Representation of the People Act following a complaint from the ruling AIADMK.
This was the second time in 48 hours that Raja had made scathing remarks against Palaniswami, the earlier one being a “slipper comment”. Though Raja has defended himself by saying his speech about the CM’s mother was “quoted out of context” and tendered a public apology to the CM after widespread criticism, his back-to-back invectives may spell trouble for the DMK. But the smear campaign targeting leaders’ parentage is not new in Tamil Nadu. Two years ago, the BJP’s H Raja had lobbed a cheap shot at Kanimozhi. Though the Election Commission’s model code of conduct covers indecent personal remarks and hate speeches, it remains to be seen how the poll panel can rein in leaders making such comments. In 2019, the Supreme Court had asked a few uncomfortable questions to the Election Commission for being complacent about leaders making hate speeches during the Lok Sabha campaign.
Scripting a campaign speech requires homework about the region’s needs. It is high time political leaders eschew such remarks and instead turn their attention to their vision for economic growth and social upliftment of constituencies. This alone can bring healthy debates back on the democratic dais.