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MK Stalin removes minister K Ponmudy from key post in DMK over remarks on Shaivism-Vaishnavism
The BJP demanded K Ponmudy's sacking, and Kanimozhi condemned his comments. A video of Ponmudy's controversial joke has gone viral, sparking outrage.
Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin on Friday removed minister K Ponmudy as DMK deputy general secretary. K Ponmudy had allegedly made a distasteful joke using women Shaivites and Vaishnavites. K Kanimozhi had condemned his speech on Friday before MK Stalin’s action.
Stalin made the announcement in a statement, but did not attribute any reasons for the action. The move came close on the heels of the minister's apparently distasteful remarks leading to a controversy, with the opposition BJP demanding Ponmudy's sacking from the cabinet.
A video of K Ponmudy making the purported remarks in the context of a sex worker has gone viral. There was no immediate response from Ponmudy, the state forest minister.
"Minister Ponmudy continuing in his post is shameful.... CM Stalin, will you order Ponmudy's arrest," Narayanan Thirupathy, vice-president of the BJP's TN unit, said in a social media post.
The BJP leader alleged that the minister has maligned the women of Tamil Nadu with his comments.
Hitting out at her party colleague Kanimozhi said, "The recent speech of minister Ponmudy is not acceptable."
"For whatever reason he had spoken, such vulgar words are condemnable," she said in a post on 'X.'
Thirupathy welcomed Kanimozhi criticising Ponmudy.
Ponmudy had earlier courted controversy, linking north Indians with selling pani puri.
Taking a dig at those who insist jobs will be available for those who learn Hindi, he had wondered who were selling pani puri in the city (Coimbatore) now, an obvious reference to the predominantly Hindi-speaking vendors involved in the trade.
(With inputs from PTI)
