DMK's Kanimozhi apologises to Khushbu for partyman's remark

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 that 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 am able to openly apologise for this because my leader @mkstalin and my party @arivalayam do not 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 remark on the women 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 and 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 Hble CM @mkstalin rule?@KanimozhiDMK.”

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Condemning the comments on the BJP office-bearers: Khushbu Sundar, Gautami, Namitha and Gayathri Raghuram at a recent public meeting in Chennai, BJP State vice-president Narayanan Thirupathy demanded stern action on Sidiq.

Though she responded to Khusbhu’s tweet and apologised for the comments, Kanimozhi said she had also expressed that Stalin would not accept such comments or abuse, Narayanan said and wondered if a mere apology and distancing from the comment would correct the wrong.

He said the police should have arrested that person under women harassment Act, but that was not done. “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,” he said.

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The BJP vice-president 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 agencies)