DMK speaker makes abusive remarks against women BJP leaders; Kanimozhi apologises

A DMK speaker went on a rampage at a party meeting here by making abusive and derogatory remarks against women leaders of Tamil Nadu BJP, including actor Khushbu Sundar, prompting the ruling party’s woman face, Kanimozhi, to tender a public apology.

In a video clip shared widely on various social media platforms, the speaker, identified as Saidai Sadiq, goes on to mock Khushbu and three other BJP leaders like actor Namitha, Gayathri Raghuram and Gautami, saying the saffron party was only dependent on these “actresses” to make inroads into Tamil Nadu.

Sadiq had stoked controversy in the past as well for making derogatory comments against TN BJP chief K Annamalai. The DMK functionary made the latest remarks against women leaders at a public meeting which was attended by IT Minister Mano Thangaraj.

Several Twitter users questioned the DMK’s stand on the issue and sought to know whether the party subscribes to Sadiq’s views. Khushbu, who was with the DMK and Congress before joining BJP in 2020, took to Twitter to condemn the speech.

“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 (M Karunanidhi). Is this new Dravidian model under CM M K Stalin rule?” she asked on Twitter by tagging Kanimozhi, DMK’s deputy general secretary.

Kanimozhi responded to Khushbu by apologising to her for the statement of her party functionary and said the party leadership doesn’t subscribe to such views.

“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 the 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,” she wrote on her Twitter page.