In remarks that could stoke fresh controversy, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) leader R B Udhayakumar on Tuesday took a swipe at Tamil Nadu chief minister C Joseph Vijay, asking him when he would appoint actor Trisha Krishnan as deputy chief minister.
His remarks came days after former Tamil Nadu deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin sparked an uproar with an offensive remark apparently aimed at the actor. Stalin was arrested for over 10 hours before being released last week.
Actor-politician Vijay has worked in several films with actor Trisha.
What did Udhayakumar say on Trisha?
In a video that has gone viral, Udhayakumar is heard saying that the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government was appointing individuals closely associated with the chief minister, specifically producers and technical crew members who worked in his films, to various official government positions.
The former state minister went on to name the persons appointed as temple trustee, Tamil Nadu government's special representative in New Delhi, personal secretary to the chief minister, head of state film training institute, as government advisors, and sarcastically remarked when Trisha would be appointed as deputy Chief Minister.
“The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, which sits on the throne of Tamil Nadu's governance, has been proclaiming the slogan "equality by birth" (Pirappokkum Ella Uyirkkum). We all believed it, but now the government appointments are turning into a major controversy. Producers and technical artists who worked in Chief Minister Vijay’s films are currently being quietly appointed to government positions. Currently, as a member of the Temple Board of Trustees, Chief Minister Vijay's GOAT movie producer Archana Kalpathi, whose roots are in Kerala, has been appointed,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}“The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, which sits on the throne of Tamil Nadu's governance, has been proclaiming the slogan "equality by birth" (Pirappokkum Ella Uyirkkum). We all believed it, but now the government appointments are turning into a major controversy. Producers and technical artists who worked in Chief Minister Vijay’s films are currently being quietly appointed to government positions. Currently, as a member of the Temple Board of Trustees, Chief Minister Vijay's GOAT movie producer Archana Kalpathi, whose roots are in Kerala, has been appointed,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}“Earlier, Karnataka-rooted Venkat Narayana, the producer of the film Jananayagan starring our Chief Minister Vijay, was appointed as Tamil Nadu government's Special Representative in Delhi. Similarly, Jagadish Palanisamy, co-producer of Vijay’s film Leo, has been appointed as the Chief Minister's Personal Secretary. Manoj Paramahamsa, the cinematographer of the Vijay-starrer Beast, has been appointed as the Chairman of the Film and Television Institute of Tamil Nadu,” he added.
Udhayakumar continued: “Furthermore, the Chief Minister's close aides John Arokiaswamy and Ramkumar have been appointed as government advisors. Tamil Nadu is now waiting in shock and anticipation to see when an announcement will be made appointing Ms Trisha as the Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.”
Drama at the age is embarrassing: Actor Trisha Krishnan’s cryptic post
Meanwhile, actor Trisha on Tuesday shared a cryptic Instagram story that said: “Drama at this age is embarrassing… Go make some money and find peace”.
She did not mention any name but the post coincided with the surfacing of the video featuring Udhayakumar making the remarks and a week after Udhayanidhi targeted the actor.
Posters pasted by a Trisha fan club also surfaced in Madurai, criticising Udhayakumar’s comments.
Udhayanidhi Stalin arrested, released amid high drama
Last week, Udhayanidhi was arrested on charges of insulting the modesty of a woman, obscenity and criminal intimidation, among others, over an obscene remark apparently aimed at the female actor.
The controversy began on August 3 when Udhayanidhi was speaking at a rally in Thanjavur meant to press the state government on the Cauvery water sharing – a century-old irritant in relations between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. As the crowd chanted the name of Trisha – a friend of the chief minister – Udhayanidhi made an obscene remark.
On August 4, Udhayanidhi was arrested from his residence in Chennai at 10am and taken to Thanjavur. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) hit the streets and approached the Madras high court, where the state government clarified that Udhayanidhi would be released “today itself”.
Later that evening, Udhayanidhi was taken to the Sengipatti police station after huge crowds gathered in Thanjavur – roughly 350km from state capital Chennai, he was quizzed for more than an hour. At around 8pm, he was released on station bail, and returned to Chennai around midnight.
“They arrested me for nothing. I have not said anything wrong. I have not said anything wrong against anybody,” the son of former Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin said. The 49-year-old leader stood atop a vehicle and greeted supporters late into the evening at Sengipatti in a show of strength by the DMK. “With 3,000 police personnel, they took us by road from Chennai to Thanjavur like a terrorist,” he said, dismissing the allegation that he made offensive comments.
Row erupts, MK Stalin defends son
DMK chief MK Stalin defended his son. “Udhayanidhi is not someone who speaks inappropriately. Even if he were to make a mistake in his speech, he is of the nature to apologise immediately,” he said.
AIADMK chief Edapaddi Palaniswami criticised Udhayanidhi. “Unaware of the dignity of the position he holds, his continuous loose talk and derogatory remarks about women are strongly condemnable,” the former chief minister said.
DMDK chief Premalatha Vijayakanth said, “This act of stifling the opposition is condemnable.”
BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan attacked the DMK, saying “We strongly condemn the derogatory words of Udhayanidhi Stalin against womenhood, humiliating women celebrities.”