Chennai: A couple of days after an autorickshaw driver from Chennai was allegedly manhandled by BJP cadres for questioning their party president Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan on the increasing prices of fuel, the BJP leader made amends by calling on the man and gifting him sweets.
In a video shared on Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan’s Twitter account, the leader is seen entering his house and greeting his family with sweets. The man who was seen pushing Kathir, the auto driver, is also seen in the video, accompanying the party chief. Kathir is heard telling Dr. Tamilisai that he is not the enemy and that he had helped the BJP to paste posters on walls during the election campaign of late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Though she is not heard apologising in the video, Kathir was said to have told media that she regretted the incident and told him that she was not aware that he was manhandled. “She visited my house. She said she was unaware of me being hit. I also explained that I asked her a question, as she was a state leader,” Kathir said.
“She told me that the Central Government is willing to reduce prices but the state government isn’t,” he claimed.
On Sunday evening, while Dr. Tamilisai was engrossed in replying to a question posed during an informal chat with reporters after an event in New Colony, Saidapet, here, Kathir appeared behind her and asked her about the rising cost of fuel. She apparently did not hear what he uttered. But BJP supporter standing next to their leader, immediately elbowed him out and allegedly roughted him up.
On Tuesday, the price of petrol in Chennai stood at Rs 85.31 per litre while one litre of diesel costs Rs 78.10.
