Dharapuram (Tamil Nadu), Oct 4 (PTI) TVK president and Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay embarked on a roadshow in the Dharapuram assembly constituency on Sunday in support of his party candidate P Sathyabama ahead of the October 6 bypolls, and slammed the DMK for making remarks against women.
The TVK founder said that attacking women has crossed the line and that he won’t remain silent.
Vijay landed in Coimbatore by a special flight and flew to Dharapuram by helicopter. The reserved Assembly segment comes under the knitwear hub, the Tiruppur district.
He was received by his senior cabinet ministers, including TVK general secretary and Minister for Rural Development and Water Resources N Anand, Minister for Revenue and Disaster Management K A Sengottaiyan at Dharapuram.
At Dharapuram, Vijay started the roadshow on his preferred customised caravan around 1 pm and was expected to cover a 40-km stretch before campaign ends for the October 6 bypolls at 6 pm on Sunday.
During the course of the roadshow, the TN CM also interacted with the voters. He took a bullock cart ride for a short distance.
He also received several gifts, flowers, garlands and party towels during the road show.
On the way, he offered prayers at Moolanur Vanjiamman shrine, where he was accorded traditional temple honours.
In one of the locations, he walked for a short distance, waving at and greeting people and TVK supporters who had lined up on either side of the road, and canvassed votes. At many places, people showered flower petals on him.
The planned campaign route is expected to cover more than 20 public-contact points over 40 km in the Dharapuram area.
The campaign procession will pass through key stretches, including the Periyar statue junction, five roads junction, and Meenakshipuram, Kulathupalayam, Karaiyur and so on.
This was Vijay’s second campaign visit to the constituency, following his September 30 rally.
In his address during the roadshow, CM Vijay lashed out against escalating personal attacks and “crude rhetoric in the state’s political discourse” and issued a “stern warning” to opposition parties against targeting women.
Pointing to recent political speeches targeting women leaders, he said, “I told you earlier if you vote for the DMK and certain others, it amounts to endorsing those who speak obscenely about women and humiliate them in public spaces. I didn’t say that just to score political points. Look at what happened the day before yesterday”.
He was referring to certain alleged controversial remarks by DMK president M K Stalin against TVK’s Dharapuram bypoll candidate P Satyabama. Vijay and his party leaders have described Stalin’s criticism as amounting to “body-shaming” the woman candidate.
“What kind of vile speech did he (Stalin) make against our sister, Sathyabama. It was so vulgar that one cannot even bear to listen to it. And is he the only one speaking like this. Every single person he has nurtured and brought up is delivering the exact same cheap rhetoric.”
“Speak whatever you want about me. I will take it. But if you dare speak against our sister, or against the mothers, sisters, and daughters of our households, I will not stay quiet. This marks a return to the era of MGR,” he said referring to late CM and AIADMK founder M G Ramachandran.
Polling in Dharapuram and Madurantakam constituencies will be held on October 6, with the counting of polled votes scheduled for October 9.
The then AIADMK MLAs from Madurantakam and Dharapuram– K Maragatham Kumaravel and Satyabama, had resigned as legislators and joined TVK. Their resignation necessitated the bypolls and Vijay has nominated both from the respective seats. PTI SNR SA
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