Chennai: The AIADMK seems rattled sensing red in a strongly worded tweet by RSS ideologue S. Gurumurthy who sneered at the party's action against TTV loyalists as being too late and said it only showed how weak the leadership in the ruling party has become post-Jayalalithaa.
“These weakmen took action after almost six months…impotent leaders”, said Gurumurthy's tweet, sending shock waves across the AIADMK corridors.
While one section of the party leaders and ministers lashed out at Gurumurthy for his 'impotent' taunt, some others chose a soft response and sought leads to find out whether the Thuglak editor was speaking-rather tweeting-out of his own desperation at the post-Jaya downslide or if his outburst was inspired by the BJP top brass.
“It's common knowledge that Gurumurthy had played a major role in getting the warring factions of OPS and EPS merge. Even though he withdrew from the scene towards the final phase of this unification process, we all knew he had the ears of the BJP leadership, particularly Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party chief Amit Shah. And so when he says something so harsh, it raises the disturbing question: was he tweeting his own anguish or was there something else behind it”, said a senior state minister, requesting anonymity.
Sources said deputy chief minister OPS appeared upset over the Guru tweet, even expressing fears to close confidants whether the BJP was readying to dump the AIADMK and hold hands with the DMK. The seasoned politician decided to seek clarification from 'old friend' Gurumurthy but for now, he acted quick and stopped a protest rally against the Thuglak editor by the AIADMK women's wing.
Fisheries minister D. Jayakumar, the most vociferous voice in the EPS camp, came out with all guns blazing at Gurumurthy for his 'impotent' taunt and threatening legal action after checking if it amounted to libel. Good people share positive thoughts on twitter whereas only the poromboke (riffraff) kind use this social media for posting abuse, the minister said.
“Gurumurthy could be impotent but all of us in the AIADMK are potent people fighting like the robust Kangeyam bull to protect the party in the manner of MGR and Jayalalithaa”, Jayakumar told reporters at the Secretariat in the afternoon, soon after the Gurumurthy tweet went viral.
“If Gurumurthy utters one harsh word, we will deliver a hundred harsh words”, roared the minister before launching his barrage of harsh words, calling Gurumurthy an 'educated fool' and concluding that only his manhood needs checking out.
Clearly, the abuse had gone through the roof of impropriety, if not indecency. Pointing out that Gurumurthy's 'impotent' quip had nothing indecent about it as it only related to a state of weakness in handling the TTV factor and there was nothing physical about it, BJP national secretary H. Raja said, “What else would you say looking at this delayed action against the TTV camp? There's nothing in Gurumurthy's tweet that warrants criminal action”.
Taken aback by Jayakumar's abuse, Gurumurthy launched a series of Tamil tweets explaining the real intent behind his anguished 'impotent' tweet. “I can only feel sorry at all that they are uttering without understanding the meaning of 'impotent'. Impotent is the opposite of 'potential' which means 'capable. I had called them impotent in a political sense and I am least concerned about their potency in other matters. I am not responsible if they assume other meanings to this word.
“I reiterate that they are impotent politically…if they want to take action against me, I am ready for it. I have faced stronger measures against me taken by many governments in the past, including the tyrannical Indira Gandhi regime”, tweeted Gurumurthy.
