TN CM Vijay warns against abusive language, personal attacks targeting women
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Monday, September 7, warned that personal attacks, defamatory remarks, double-meaning comments or derogatory language targeting women would not be tolerated and could invite immediate legal action.
Addressing the state Assembly, Vijay, in an apparent reference to the opposition DMK, recalled the alleged humiliation suffered by former chief minister J Jayalalithaa inside the House in 1989, when the DMK was in power.
He said such incidents should never be repeated and that unacceptable behaviour in the legislature could not be justified by citing precedents from the past.
Vijay also referred indirectly to the recent controversy surrounding remarks allegedly directed at a prominent female actor, using it to stress the need for dignity and restraint in political discourse.
"Under the guise of politics, to those who personally disrespect our people, women or anyone else and speak in a very low and degrading manner, my request is please don't do that. Recently, in Tamil Nadu, it seems as though a river of vulgarity and hatred is continuously flowing. Being abusive about women, making defamatory remarks, and using double-meaning words, is wrong," Vijay said without naming anyone.
While saying that strong political criticism was part of a democracy, the chief minister made it clear that personal attacks and abusive remarks against women would not be accepted.
"I want to tell those who do this just one thing," he said, without elaborating immediately.
His remarks come weeks after DMK leader and Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin was released on station bail following his arrest over alleged "double-meaning" remarks, seen as a reference to actor Trisha, while addressing party workers during a protest over the Cauvery issue.
Vijay's comments also came amid wider political controversies involving remarks made about women in public life, with the chief minister stressing that political differences should not cross the line into personal abuse or degrading language.
