TIRUPPUR: Drawing a definitive line in the sand against political misogyny during his Dharapuram campaign, Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Sunday urged the voters to outright reject the DMK at the ballot box for its “demeaning treatment of women”.
“You can say anything about me. I can tolerate it. But if you speak about our sister Sathyabama or about the mothers, elder sisters and younger sisters of our households, I will not remain silent,” he said while addressing voters during his roadshow. “If you vote for the DMK and others, it would amount to supporting those who speak derogatorily about women.”
Referring to DMK president M K Stalin’s campaign in Dharapuram, Vijay alleged, “The remarks made by MK Stalin about Sathyabama are unfit to be heard. The words he spoke were not such that they could be forgotten. Not only he, his heirs too speak like this.”
Vijay alleged that making derogatory remarks against women was not something that had started recently, claiming that it had been the practice of DMK cadre since the tenures of former CMs MG Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa.
He said MGR and Jayalalithaa had remained strong and careful during their respective periods and had opposed any alliance with the DMK. “But there has been a change. The DMK and others (the CM as usual avoided the word ‘AIADMK’) are indirectly joining hands, even with those they previously said they would never align with,” Vijay said.
This was Vijay’s second campaign visit to the SC-reserved constituency, following his rally on Wednesday. During his visit, which focused primarily on roadshows, he sought support for TVK candidate Sathyabama from the crowds gathered along the roadside. Vijay appealed to voters to bring their family members, neighbours and relatives to their respective polling booths on October 6 and vote for the TVK’s whistle symbol.
Earlier, Vijay landed in Coimbatore by flight and flew to Dharapuram by helicopter. From there, Vijay met the people through a roadshow of about 40 km. During the roadshow, he lifted a little girl dressed as Velu Nachiyar to the top of the van and thanked her.
During the course of the roadshow, the CM suddenly got off the vehicle and travelled in a bullock cart that was already waiting on the road. Similarly, the CM met with drumstick farmers and animal husbandry workers to hear their grievances. After viewing the Kangeyam breed of bulls, the CM worshipped at the Vanjiamman temple in Mulanur.
Subsequently, the CM travelled from Mulanur via Karaiyur, Kulathupalayam, Alingiyam road junction, and the Udumalaipet road junction to the helipad at Maruthi Nagar, and then proceeded to Coimbatore by helicopter.
Meanwhile, criticising the CM’s roadshow, DMK’s Dharapuram town secretary S Muruganandam said, “The TVK had brought the public from other districts to show the crowd.”
In the meanwhile, the NTK candidate and cadre also went to the Veerachimangalam Junction area for campaigning, but they were allegedly prevented by the police due to the CM’s roadshow. Condemning this, they engaged in a road blockade. Consequently, the police forcibly secured and removed candidate M Karthika and some party cadre from there.