The DMK, which pre-poll surveys predicted would sweep the elections in Tamil Nadu, is now on the defensive following the alleged “derogatory” speeches against women in general and the late mother of Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami in particular by the likes of former Union Minister A Raja, Udhayanidhi, son of DMK leader MK Stalin, and Dayanidhi Maran, grand nephew of Karunanidhi.
With the word about these public utterances apparently antagonising a large section of women voters in the State and the AIADMK and the BJP raking it up continuously, a perturbed Stalin has been forced to issue a circular to the DMK cadre cautioning them against using abusive and filthy languages in their speeches.
The Election Commission has issued a notice to A Raja over his comments and asked him to explain his remarks, failing which the poll body will “take a decision without any further reference” to the former Union Minister.
Raja replied that he had not said anything that violated the Model Code of Conduct.
He said he has not done anything that was obscene or that would lower the dignity of motherhood, of women, or any other provision of the law.
The Tamil Nadu Police has filed cases against Raja for the abusive language he used against the late mother of the Chief Minister. It has been widely reported that Palaniswami sobbed in public while speaking about how the DMK leader humiliated his late mother.
Stalin’s circular to party cadre is also due to the speech delivered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Dharapuram. “It is inherent in the DMK to use such language. See how they assaulted Amma Jayalalithaaji in the Legislative Assembly on March 25, 1989,” said Modi even as he indirectly called Raja “outdated 2G missile”.
What adds to the worries of the DMK is that women outnumber men in Tamil Nadu. Out of the 6.29 crore voters in the State, 3.19 crore voters are women.
Uma Balarathnam, an octogenarian home maker, said that as far as she could remember, the DMK’s style has been like this. “Karunanidhi had shown some restraint towards the end of his life but the others in the party were unbearable. I remember a DMK spokesperson Vannai Stella, an Anglo-Indian lady from North Chennai who had an acerbic tongue. She was notorious for the abusive language with which she attacked political rivals. Then there was Theepori Arumugham, known for the unparliamentary language he used against a particular community and Opposition party leaders,” reminiscenced Balarathnam.
Nalini Srinivasasubramanina (47), a housewife, said she was yet to get over from the shock of hearing Raja abusing the CM’s mother.
When Gayatri Devi Vasudev, eminent astrologer, who is also the editor of Modern Astrology, a venerated journal on the science of astrology forecast early this week that the horoscope and planetary positions of DMK president MK Stalin were not in favour for the realisation of his chief ministerial dreams, rationalists scoffed at her observation.
Vasudev, who studied the horoscopes of the DMK and Stalin, had pointed out that planets Saturn and Venus were mutually well-placed. “Saturn and Venus when mutually well-placed are said to produce adverse results in their mutual periods. Further, the effect of the baneful Ashtamasani will haunt Stalin till next November. Hence the DMK forming the Government after the elections is highly doubtful,” said Vasudev.
Sreepriya Iyer, a political activist in Chennai, pointed out Vasudev’s forecast to say, “Now, Saturn and Venus seem to have become a reality in Stalin’s life given the utterances of his party leaders.”
“The kind of language the DMK leaders use in their narrative is highly derogatory. Stalin’s nephew Dayanidhi Maran, a former Union Minister who had to resign following charges of corruption, used filthy language against Jayalalithaa and PM Modi in his speech,” pointed out Iyer.
