Chennai: A day after he was slapped by Sasikala Pushpa, DMK Rajya Sabha member Tiruchi Siva on Sunday denied having said anything disrespectful against the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister as alleged by the AIADMK MP.
“There is no need for me to talk (about the CM) to security personnel and even if I had spoken (something), there was no need for (Ms Pushpa) to behave (this way),” Mr Siva told reporters on his arrival at the airport here on Sunday morning. Explaining her violent outburst, Ms Pushpa had on Saturday told DC that she was justifiably angry because Mr Siva criticised her party leader more than once with the CISF personnel at Terminal 3 of the New Delhi Airport.
“Once he saw me, he started criticising Amma and the government more. Since I could not stomach someone criticising my leader, I slapped him,” Ms Pushpa had said.
Explaining his side of the story, the DMK MP said the incident took place when he was coming out of the boarding area after he cancelled his plans to travel to Chennai.
“I cancelled my ticket and was exiting the airport and when I was at the exit scan area, she (Sasikala Pushpa) was at the entry scan area. I would have just come 10 feet away from the exit scan area and that is when she dragged me by my shirt from my back. When security personnel intervened, she asked why the same importance given to me was not accorded to her,” he said.
Asked what his response was after the incident, he said: “Since I was embarrassed, I left the area and I did not even enter into an argument since she was a woman and I did not want to drag this,” he said.
To a question about why he has not filed any complaint with the police, the MP said he would take a call after discussing the issue with party high command.
There was speculation that Mr Siva had met DMK chief M. Karunanidhi and explained his side of the story. Meanwhile, Ms Pushpa returned to New Delhi in an evening flight on Sunday and did not respond to reporters' question if she had met the party high command to give her version on the slapping incident.
