17:34
Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Saturday condemned DMK president M K Stalin's alleged derogatory remarks against TVK candidate P Sathyabama in the Dharapuram Assembly bypoll, accusing him of body-shaming and making inappropriate comments about her.
Vijay alleged that the former chief minister's campaign in Dharapuram on Friday was marked by "slander, misogyny and personal abuse."
He said he condemned the remarks "as a son, brother and younger brother of Tamil women," and that Dharapuram voters would give a fitting reply when they vote on October 6.
At the DMK's campaign meeting, Stalin criticised Sathyabama, a Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam candidate who earlier belonged to the AIADMK, for switching loyalties to the ruling party. He allegedly used nicknames such as "petti" (suitcase) and "balti" (somersault), implying she had changed camps for money.
In a statement on X, Vijay said: "Under the guise of an election campaign in Dharapuram, the evil force DMK has organised a defamatory and utterly uncivilised meeting under its leader M K Stalin."
He alleged that Stalin "took pleasure in resorting to body-shaming and making highly inappropriate remarks against our party candidate, sister Mrs P Sathyabama."
Calling the DMK "anti-democratic," Vijay alleged that vulgarity and hostility were embedded in its ideology and accused Stalin of proudly fostering a toxic political culture in the party.
"The people of Tamil Nadu have long realised that obscenity, malice and vulgarity are intertwined in the DMK's DNA. They specialise in speaking obscenely about women, even in their presence, completely indifferent to their discomfort," he said.
Expressing confidence that voters, particularly in Dharapuram, would not tolerate such behaviour, he said: "As a son, a brother and a well-wisher to the women of Tamil Nadu, I express my strongest condemnation against the DMK for its continuous derogatory language targeting women." -- PTI
