DMK leader A Raja regrets comments on TVK minister Nirmal Kumar after row

Congress, CPI(M) and DMK MP Kanimozhi criticised Raja, while TVK MLA Vijayakumar filed a police complaint seeking action over his remarks.

Senior Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader A Raja on Sunday expressed regret over his remarks on Tamil Nadu minister CTR Nirmal Kumar during a public rally, following backlash from several quarters including his own party.

DMK deputy general secretary A Raja said he was withdrawing his remarks, while warning minister CTR Nirmal Kumar that he would be “corrected” if he did not change. (PTI)

The DMK deputy general secretary, while taking part in a protest organised by his party on Saturday to condemn the speech of chief minister C Joseph Vijay in the assembly, made some derogatory remarks against the minister for natural resources and law CTR Nirmal Kumar over him switching parties. Several parties, including the Congress and the Left, slammed him for the remarks, as well as DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi.

Raja, without naming Kumar, said in a social media post on Sunday that he also regretted “questioning him.”

DMK leader cites remarks on Stalin’s MISA detention

The sacrifices of Stalin were intentionally and repeatedly degraded and mocked as a “lie”, the DMK leader said, without mentioning the state minister and his earlier statement questioning Stalin’s detention under MISA.

The former Union minister said he was driven by an impulse of emotion, and in order to convey the “pain” (caused by Kumar’s statement), he had made that comment.

Raja said: “I have no hesitation in withdrawing my words. ”Apparently warning Kumar, the DMK leader also said: “If you do not change, you will be corrected.”

Nirmal Kumar hits back at DMK leader

Minister for energy resources and law CTR Nirmal Kumar, responding to the remark made by Raja said: “Whenever questions are raised against the DMK about corruption and lies, the weapon it takes up is either violence or obscene speech. The people will soon write the DMK’s failure in politics.”

“Is setting up stages to have people speak obscenely about me and our leader is your weapon (DMK President) Mr MK Stalin? When you will realise that the vulgar drama your party members staged yesterday in the name of a protest has shocked the people of Tamil Nadu especially women?” he asked in a series of social media posts.

“Can the DMK members show their speeches to the women and children in their own households?” Kumar said.

Meanwhile, Gummidipundi TVK MLA Vijayakumar has filed a complaint with the local police seeking action against A Raja for the remarks he made, party sources said.

CPI(M) condemns remarks against minister

Reacting to the remarks made by the DMK leader, Communist Party of India (Marxist) State secretary P Shanmugam said, “It is unbearable to see some DMK leaders making such remarks about women and party cadres who cheer them after listening to such comments. How is the DMK chief (M K Stalin) keeping quiet after the mother of the minister is insulted.”

DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, quoting the couplets of Thirukkural said, “Whatever else you fail to control, control your tongue. If you fail to do so, you will suffer, caught in the fault of your own words.”

Slamming the comments of Raja, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) President B Manickam Tagore said, “Burying political decency completely and engaging in low-grade speech in the public sphere is strongly condemnable. This disgusting attitude of A Raja who preaches ideology is shameful.”

“Standing on the brink of frustration, unable to accept the people’s mandate and lacking the maturity to face opposing views while belittling women and motherhood only exposes their weakness. Unable to accept defeat, the DMK has made it a habit to target and attack women whenever frustration sets in. Starting from Udhayanidhi to this day, all members of that party continue to follow this exact tactic,” he said in a statement.