Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam leader C Joseph Vijay has condemned DMK president MK Stalin over remarks allegedly directed at the party's Dharapuram bypoll candidate P Sathyabama, describing them as "indecent" and derogatory.
The controversy erupted after Stalin, while addressing an election meeting in Dharapuram on October 2, allegedly used terms such as "petti" (suitcase) and "balti" (somersault) while referring to Sathyabama, a former AIADMK leader who recently joined the TVK.
According to the complaint filed by the TVK, Stalin also made comments about Sathyabama's physical appearance, questioning how she could "perform a somersault with such a body".
The party has alleged that the remarks amounted to body-shaming and had no relevance to Sathyabama's political career or electoral record. The TVK has approached the Election Commission of India seeking action against Stalin for what it termed violations of the Model Code of Conduct.
TVK general secretary for election campaign management and PWD Minister Aadhav Arjuna submitted the complaint to the Chief Electoral Officer.
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The party has sought cancellation of Stalin's star campaigner status and directions to the Tiruppur district authorities to register an FIR under Section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act, 1998.
The party has also sought measures to ensure Sathyabama can campaign without intimidation and said it would pursue separate criminal proceedings after the bypoll. It has demanded an unconditional apology from Stalin.
Vijay, in a post on X, accused the DMK of promoting "obscenity, violence and perversion" and criticised what he described as objectionable remarks against women. He appealed to voters to respond through the ballot.
The Dharapuram assembly bypoll is scheduled for October 6, with the dispute putting the spotlight on the enforcement of electoral conduct rules in the final phase of campaigning.
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