Chennai: A speech by actor-turned DMK politician Radha Ravi has sparked outrage, after he compared the party’s political rivals to children with disabilities.
According to reports, the 64-year-old politician made the speech at a DMK event on March 1, equating PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss and MDMK leader Vaiko to differently-abled children trying to play with regular ones.
At the event, held to celebrate the birthday of party working president MK Stalin, Ravi said, “Premature babies - the ones who are born in 6 months instead of 10 months - their hands and legs get pulled, and their mouth keeps dripping saliva.” The crowd and the party fuctionaries on stage, including MLAs, responded with cheers and laughter.
In response, activists demonstrated outside Ravi’s residence in Hyderabad, and a petition was filed against him at the Teynampet police station by members of the December 3 movement, a disabled rights activists group in Tamil Nadu.
DMK leader and Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi slammed Ravi. “(He should) stop speaking about differently-abled people in a derogatory and mocking fashion. Kalaignar's cadre will not accept this. Having disabilities is indeed a small obstacle. But it is when you're emotionally weak that it is an even bigger obstacle. The differently-abled are people who have broken these emotional barriers."
Further protests in Chennai are planned in the event that an FIR isn’t filed against the controversial actor turned politician.
Ravi joined the DMK in February this year after quitting the AIADMK.
