Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], October 3 (ANI): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief C Joseph Vijay on Saturday hit out at DMK president MK Stalin over remarks made about TVK's Dharapuram bypoll candidate P Sathyabama during an election campaign meeting, accusing the former Chief Minister of making derogatory comments about a woman candidate.
In a post on X, Vijay strongly condemned Stalin's remarks and described the DMK as a “force of evil”, while alleging that Stalin had mocked Sathyabama's physical appearance and spoken about her in an indecent manner.
“Under the guise of a by-election campaign public meeting for the Dharapuram constituency, the DMK, a force of evil, through its leader Mr MK Stalin, has conducted a meeting full of slander and indecency,” Vijay said.
“Mr MK Stalin has derived sadistic pleasure by mocking the physical appearance and speaking with utmost indecency about our Dharapuram constituency candidate, sister Mrs Sathyabama,” he added.
Stalin's comments came during a campaign meeting in Dharapuram on Friday in support of DMK candidate S Suganya. Reports said Stalin referred to Sathyabama as “Petti Bama” and “Palti Bama” while questioning her switch from AIADMK to TVK. TVK leaders have alleged that the remarks amounted to body-shaming.
Vijay alleged that the remarks reflected what he described as a broader pattern within the DMK and accused the party of making derogatory comments about women.
“The people of Tamil Nadu have long realised that the DMK members are enemies of democracy, and that obscenity, malice, and perversion are deeply ingrained in their very DNA and mindset,” Vijay said.
He further said voters in Dharapuram would respond to the controversy through the electoral process.
“The people of Tamil Nadu and the voters of Dharapuram constituency are going to teach a fitting lesson to this evil faction, which is expert in speaking obscenely about women,” he said.
Vijay also criticised what he described as repeated comments about women by DMK leaders and said he was expressing his condemnation as a representative of the women of Tamil Nadu.
“As a son, brother, and younger brother to the women of Tamil Nadu, I express my strong condemnation of the DMK, an evil force that continuously speaks obscenely about women,” he said.
The controversy comes ahead of the October 6 Dharapuram bypoll.
Meanwhile, TVK Minister CTR Nirmal Kumar also condemned Stalin's alleged remarks while speaking to reporters at Coimbatore Airport. He alleged that Stalin had made derogatory and body-shaming comments about Sathyabama and said the party would approach the Election Commission over the issue.
“It is condemnable to make such remarks about a Scheduled Caste woman who is actively participating in electoral politics,” Nirmal Kumar said, while demanding that Stalin publicly apologise.
Nirmal Kumar also denied allegations that the TVK was distributing money to voters, saying such a practice was against the party's policy. He further criticised the DMK's campaign and claimed that the party was making such statements out of frustration.
The Dharapuram by-election was necessitated after former AIADMK MLA P Sathyabama resigned and joined the TVK. She is now contesting the bypoll on a TVK ticket, while the DMK has fielded S Suganya and the AIADMK K Bhanumathi. (ANI)
"DMK, a force of evil": CM Vijay hits out at MK Stalin over alleged remarks against TVK Dharapuram candidate Sathyabama
