Tirupattur: A clip showing former minister, K.R. Periyakaruppan, with a woman that has been going viral for over four days on social networking sites, seems to have done enough damage to Tiruppattur DMK candidate’s reputation and electoral prospects.
Two days ago, when Periyakaruppan was going round the constituency in a campaign vehicle, a group of women near Erumapatti village pointed their fingers at him, referring to him as ‘the man in the video’, leaving the candidate crestfallen, according to a party worker who was part of the entourage.
In fact, there is a surge of anger among women after the video that does not show the face of the woman, was circulated. “We will teach him a lesson in this election,” said Valarmathi, a mother of two children from Kothamangalam village, suggesting the electoral tide is turning against the DMK leader, who was Minister of Hindu Religious and Endowments Department in the previous DMK regime.
He managed to retain the constituency in 2011 due to his popularity and was hopeful of winning the seat once again in this elections when the video, said to have been shot many years ago, struck like a bolt from the blue.
In Kothamangalam, seven km away from Tiruppattur, wall posters printed with a screenshot of the video have appeared all over the village and members of the Tamil Nadu Women Association, Sivaganga district, organised a protest rally holding flex boards that accused the former minister of ‘rape’.
“We are shocked. Only now we realise that all these days he has been masquerading as a good person,” said a woman requesting anonymity, quickly adding: “How can women be safe in the constituency if he is elected to power.”
Enquires revealed that the woman in the video was a former party cadre, who was sidelined after she tried to misuse Periyakaruppan’s name.
She got close to him when he was minister and managed to get positions in the district unit. When she demanded a plum post in the local body, Periyakaruppan sidelined her.
The video, secretly shot by her during one of their meetings, was leaked by a few DMK functionaries. The AIADMK candidate, K.R. Ashokan, is using this opportunity to win over voters. Even CPI national secretary D. Raja and AIADMK MP P. R. Senthil Nathan referred to the clip in their campaign speeches.
However, some DMK functionaries shrug it off, saying that Periyakaruppan will win Tirupattur seat without a hitch.
