A comment made by Tamil Nadu Congress Committee chief EVKS Elangovan about his BJP counterpart Tamilisai Soundarrajan has landed him in further trouble. It is reported that during a protest rally at Madurai against the BJP for the National Herald issue, the TNCC chief made derogatory comments against Tamilissai for her comments on the case.
“What right she has to talk about the CongressIJ We need not reply to comments made by Karakattakkari or Poikkalkuthirakkari ,” said Elangovan. While Karakattakkari is a form of folk dance performed by dancers from a particular community, the Poikkalkuthirakkari is a female folk artist who performs folk fance with a dummy horse tied around her waist.
The outspoken Elangovan has been facing the ire of his own partymen and women for his stand off with the State chief of Mahila Congress who alleged that the former made derogatory comments against her. She had filed a police complaint against Elangovan for verbally abusing her.
Saturday’s comments by Elangovan drew wide protests, especially from women activists and politicians. “I am sure this comment is sufficient to put Elangovan in trouble. This is a sexiest remark and a nasty comment,” said Radha Rajan, a social activist and writer based in Chennai. She said the comments had some communal overtones also and it was unbecoming of a person of Elangovan’s stature to make such remarks.
Vanati Sreenivasan, general secretary of Tamil Nadu BJP took strong objection to the comments by Elangovan.. “This has become a routine affair with Elangovan. He is always humiliating and disgracing women with his lucid comments. He should remember that it was his party chief Rajiv Gandhi who wanted more and more women to enter politics. But Elangovan is trying to drive out women from politics with such derogatory comments,” said Sreenivasan.
Interestingly, Tamilissai, a medical doctor by training, is the daughter of Kumari Ananthan, former president of Tamil Nadu Congress Committee. Ananthan, who was a member of the Congress team from the State to call on Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi last month demanding the sacking of Elangovan from the post of TNCC chief, refused to comment on the incident.
But Elangovan stoutly denied reports that he made derogatory comments against the BJP chief. “I never mentioned anybody by name. All I said was that there is no need to react to comments made by everybody. I did not mention anybody by name,” Elangovan told The Pioneer over phone.