Chennai, Oct 3 (IANS) Remarks allegedly made by DMK president and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, M.K. Stalin, about TVK candidate Sathyabama during campaigning for the Dharapuram Assembly bypoll have drawn criticism from ministers Sengottaiyan and Arun Raj, who accused him of insulting women.
Stalin campaigned in the constituency on Friday in support of DMK candidate Sukanya. During his address, he reportedly referred to derogatory nicknames used against Sathyabama, prompting objections from the TVK leadership.
The controversy has added to the exchanges between the parties ahead of polling on October 6. The ministers argued that political campaigning should focus on issues affecting voters and should not descend into personal attacks against a woman candidate.
In a post on X, Sengottaiyan questioned whether Stalin’s remarks could be considered election campaigning or amounted to an offensive attempt to ridicule women.
He alleged that the comments reflected a pattern of disrespect towards women within the DMK.
The minister also accused Stalin of adopting different positions according to political circumstances and questioned his statements on justice, honesty, caste and discrimination.
He demanded an apology from the DMK leader for the remarks attributed to him. Sengottaiyan’s criticism centred on what he described as the use of insulting language against Sathyabama, rather than a debate over her political record or the issues facing Dharapuram voters.
Arun Raj condemned the remarks in a post on X, saying Stalin had used humiliating words and mocked the TVK candidate while addressing a campaign programme in the constituency.
Identifying Stalin as the DMK president and former Chief Minister, Arun Raj said the party strongly condemned what it regarded as an attack on Sathyabama’s dignity.
His statement echoed Sengottaiyan’s objection to the tone of the campaign speech. The objections from the two ministers brought the treatment of women candidates into the bypoll campaign debate, with both presenting Stalin’s alleged remarks as unacceptable political conduct.
The supplied account does not include a response from Stalin or the DMK to the ministers’ criticism. It also does not provide a transcript of the speech, leaving the wording and context of the disputed remarks unclear.
Sukanya and Sathyabama are contesting for the DMK and TVK respectively in Dharapuram, where the campaign has intensified ahead of Tuesday’s vote, with rival parties seeking to mobilise support for their candidates.
–IANS
aal/rad
