Chennai: Large groups of DMK cadres, including many women, demonstrated in several places across Tamil Nadu demanding the arrest of BJP national secretary H. Raja for his nasty tweet targeting their MP, Kanimozhi because she lent support to a woman journalist who had revolted against Governor Banwarilal Purohit’s inappropriate pat on her cheek.
Kanimozhi had tweeted her support to the journalist on Tuesday, saying, “Even if the intention is above suspicion, a person who holds a public office has to understand that there is a decorum to it and violating a woman journalist’s personal space does not reflect the dignity or the respect which should be shown to any human being”.
Without mentioning Kanimozhi by name, Raja in his tweet Wednesday morning said, “Would journalists question the leader who made his illegitimate child, from an illegitimate relationship, a Rajya Sabha MP, just like they questioned the Governor? Memories of Chidambaram Udayakumar, Anna Nagar Ramesh, Perambalur and Sadiq Basha would haunt them”.
The DMK reacted with expected fury, with several of its leaders and cadres taking to the streets in different parts of the state, including the arterial Anna Salai in Chennai, demanding the arrest of BJP’s Raja, who has been notorious for drawing angry attention to his indiscreet and often insensitive statements attacking various Dravidian leaders. DMK members, including several women, raised slogans calling Raja dirty names and burnt his effigies.
BJP distanced itself from the ugly tweet of its national secretary. Party state president Dr Tamilisai Sounderarajan said such attack on a woman in public life was unacceptable.
At the same time, there were also a few among the twitterati in the Kanimozhi thread who wondered why despite all her experience and position, she was unable to see that the woman journalist was making it up for publicity.
Another referred to Kanimozhi’s ‘decorum’ advice in her tweet to play back the news photograph showing her father Karunanidhi, as Chief Minister, touching a girl on her head in appreciation of her academic performance.
