CHENNAI: DMK women's wing secretary and party's MP Kanimozhi apologised to actress-politician Khushbu Sundar over a DMK functionary's alleged derogatory remark targeting BJP women leaders in Tamil Nadu.
The Thoothukudi MP, who is also deputy general secretary of the DMK, said neither the party nor its chief M K Stalin would tolerate such remarks.
"I apologise as a woman and human being for what was said. This can never be tolerated irrespective of whoever did it, of the space it was said or party they adhere to. And I'm able to openly apologise for this because my leader @mkstalin and my party @arivalayam don't condone this," Kanimozhi said in her tweet in response to a post which the actress tagged and asked if insulting women was part of the new Dravidian model.
After a video of the DMK functionary Saidai Sidiq's remarks on Khushbu and other women in the BJP went viral on social media, Khushbu on Thursday tagged Kanimozhi and tweeted, "When men abuse women, it just shows what kind of upbringing they have had & the toxic environment they were brought up in. These men insult the womb of a woman. Such men call themselves followers of #Kalaignar Is this new Dravidian model under H'ble CM @mkstalin rule?@KanimozhiDMK."
As per media reports, Khusbu who has thanked Kanimozhi has also said that she would take the matter up with the National Commission for Women (NCW) and would wait to see if Chief Minister Stalin would sack Saidai Sidiq.
Condemning the comments on BJP office-bearers Khushbu Sundar, Gautami, Namitha, and Gayathri Raghuram --- who are all actors-turned politicians --- at a recent public meeting in Chennai, BJP State vice-president Narayanan Thirupathy demanded stern action on Sidiq.
The DMK leader reportedly said the saffron camp was dependent on the women to expand its base in the southern state.
Narayanan wondered if a mere apology and distancing from the comment would correct the wrong. He said the police should have arrested that person under Tamil Nadu's Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act but that was not done as of yet. "It is the responsibility of Stalin, as party president and as Chief Minister, to have ordered the arrest of the accused. If that is not done, the comments made by Kanimozhi would be considered as name-sake and not from her heart," the BJP State vice-president said.
I apologise as a woman and human being for what was said.This can never be tolerated irrespective of whoever did it,of the space it was said or party they adhere to.And I’m able to openly apologise for this because my leader @mkstalin and my party @arivalayam don’t condone this. https://t.co/FyVo4KvU9A
— Kanimozhi (கனிமொழி) (@KanimozhiDMK) October 27, 2022
Narayanan also requested Kanimozhi to take steps to expel Sidiq from the party, so as to be a deterrent. "If no action was initiated on him, then the people of Tamil Nadu would come to a conclusion that DMK is anti-women and a male chauvinist party," Narayanan said.
(With inputs from online desk)