Disability activist lodges complaint against PM for dyslexia remark

A complaint has been filed against Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 6 in Chennai for his comments on people with dyslexia. The complaint by the Tamil Nadu Association for the Rights of All Types of Differently Abled & Caregivers – TARATDAC – has been filed at the Saidapet Police Station in the city.

Talking to The Federal, S Namburajan, that they were awaiting an apology from the Prime Minister. “We did not expect a Prime Minister to make fun of a disability. It has been a huge disappointment for us and the parents of such children with dyslexia have also been expressing their anger over his insensitivity.” He added that they hoped that the police would take action, and if not they would stage a protest till action is taken.

PM Modi drew flak for his remark on the condition, during an interaction at the ‘Smart India Hackathon 2019’ on March 2 with an engineering student from Dehradun while she showcased a project that would help dyslexic children with reading and writing difficulties. During the interaction, Modi asked the student if her project would help 40-50-year-old children too, hinting at his political opponent Congress’ Rahul Gandhi. The remarks garnered a lot of criticism from parents of children with dyslexia and the experts.