CHENNAI: Health Minister C. Vijayabhaskar was at the centre of yet another controversy on Friday for calling a woman reporter of a Tamil television channel ‘beautiful’ when she asked him to share details of an internal meeting of the AIADMK on Thursday evening.
As television channels aired the footage in which Vijayabhaskar, who is no stranger to controversy, is seen calling the reporter ‘beautiful’ not just once but thrice, the minister apologised for his remarks. The Minister’s remarks invoked criticism from across the board with many panning Vijayabhaskar for his ‘sexist’ remark.
“I am always friendly to media fraternity. My intention is to avert political questions and not to hurt sentiments of any persons. Still I feel sorry for the unfortunate incident. To me, all journalists are my brothers and sisters,” Vijayabhaskar said in a statement on Friday.
His comments came as women activists condemned him for his remarks and demanded an unconditional apology from him. Vijayabhaskar was in the news recently as his premises were raided by I-T department in the run up to April by-elections to the Dr R K Nagar constituency.
When the woman reporter approached Vijayabhaskar outside the AIADMK headquarters on Thursday after an internal meeting, he told her: “Your specs are very nice...” When the reporter continued to press her question on him, “Sir, what did you discuss in the meeting?” he again said, “Your specs look good.”
Clearly realising that Vijayabhaskar was trying to divert attention, the reporter told him: “I am wearing specs every day. Tell me what you discussed in the meeting?” Even then, Vijayabhaskar skirted the question and continued to call her “beautiful.”
While the reporter's identity has not been revealed, the minister's comments have sparked consternation among woman journalists in Tamil Nadu.
