The DMK Youth Wing secretary has been asked to apologise through a notice sent by Sasikala’s nephew Jeyanandh Dhivaharan, or face legal action.
DMK Youth Wing secretary Udhayanidhi Stalin is facing criticism and a legal notice over a recent remark that he made at a political rally. The DMK leader who undertook a statewide tour ahead of the Assembly elections, made crude and derogatory remarks about Chief Minister Edapppadi Palaniswami’s ‘servitude’ to former AIADMK secretary VK Sasikala, at a recent meeting with party cadres. The DMK Youth wing secretary insinuated sexual colours to the relationship of the two leaders, drawing the ire of the ruling party and political commentators.
Udhayanidhi, who is also the son of party chief MK Stalin, said at the rally, “When I mentioned Edappadi’s government, someone in the crowd said, it is not Edappadi but ‘edupidi’ (a Tamil word for someone who only follows orders) and when I asked them whose edupidi he was, another person from the crowd said (Prime Minister) Modi’s.”
“Someone then screamed that he was a dead body because he fell at Sasikala’s feet like a dead body,” Udhayanidhi said, before going to make objectionable comments.
Opposing his statement, VK Sasikala’s nephew has now issued a legal notice to Udhayanidhi, demanding that he apologise or be dragged to court over his statement. Jeyanandh Dhivaharan, Sasikala’s brother’s son, said in the legal notice that Udhayanidhi’s statement belies a lack of respect and regard for women. He called the statement indecent, condemnable and said it was of malafide intention.
“VK Sasikala is a senior leader having 35 years of experience in politics. For the past 35 years, she has been associated with Jayalalithaa, who has created a number of MPs, MLAs and Ministers in Tamil Nadu and India. My client states that your age is the political experience of my client’s aunt in her political career,” Jeyanandh’s lawyers said in the notice. “Without any regards and with the malafide intention of defaming VK Sasikala, (you) made derogatory comments that are unparliamentary to speak in a public forum. The statement made by you shows that you have a male domination attitude and you have no respect or regards for women. By making the defamatory statement you have defamed my client’s aunt. My client states that your statement has disrespected the reputation of my client’s aunt and her relatives,” the notice adds.
Jeyanandh has further demanded that the statement be withdrawn.
“The client hereby calls upon you to tender an unconditional apology and withdrawal of the defamatory statement made against my client’s aunty VK Sasikala immediately on receipt of this notice. If you fail to do so, my client will be constrained to initiate appropriate legal action against you, both in the civil and criminal forum at your own costs and risks,” the notice warns.
In addition to Jeyanandh, several other political leaders too have called out Udhayanidhi for his remarks.
“Udhayanidhi is proving that he is the grandson of Karunandhi, who spoke derogatorily about great leaders like Kamaraj. This is proof that DMK and the concept of dignity is not related,” said AMMK chief and Sasikala nephew TTV Dhinakaran on Twitter. “Only someone with a filthy heart and a mind filled with bad thoughts can talk so disgustingly. He is forgetting he was born to a woman. It reflects on how he was brought up. It is sad to know that such people exist in Tamil society, that really respects women,” he added.
AIADMK Minister D Jayakumar meanwhile said that these comments cannot be tolerated and that they promoted indecency. Vanathi Srinivasan, the BJP’s National President of the Mahila Morcha meanwhile said that Udhayanidhi’s statement must be condemned. She said in a tweet, that action can’t be expected from MK Stalin and asked if his wife Durga will do the needful.
Source: The News Minute