DMK Criticised for Inviting #MeToo Accused Vairamuthu to Event
Poet Vairamuthu has been accused of sexually harassing several women, including singer Chinmayi Sripaada.
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DMK Chief MK Stalin has, on Tuesday, 24 February, faced criticism for inviting poet and lyricist Vairamuthu as the chief guest for the event, ‘Thalapathy Thalaivar Mudhalvar’. The event was held in support of Stalin’s candidature as the chief minister.
The artist was earlier accused of sexually harassing several women, including singer Chinmayi Sripaada. Sripaada tweeted on Tuesday, “Politicians in Tamil Nadu repeatedly, openly associate with Mr Vairamuthu – their show of solidarity with him a pompous display, his ‘open secret’ of a reputation notwithstanding. The Bro-Code. And they ask me – “why so late?”
The event was also attended by VCK President Thol Thirumavalan, DMK MP A Raja, filmmaker, television host Karu Palaniappan and professor Parveen Sultana.
The DMK has not officially commented on the controversy. The event was organised by Kalaignar TV, a channel affiliated with the party.
Poet Meena Kandasamy questioned the DMK for inviting a sexual harasser.
“This is a question for DMK to introspect. Why ruin Stalin's legacy of dedicated political work by letting a tainted abuser chair the meeting? Shouldn't DMK have taken the utmost care and caution making sure there's not even the shadow of a controversy? (sic)” she wrote.
Singer Sripaada and several women had accused Vairamuthu of sexual harassment as part of the #MeToo movement in 2018. Sripaada and a US-based music artist, Sindhuja Rajaram, had called him out publicly and had allegedly faced discrimination from the film industry every since.
TN IPS Officer Alleges Harassment by Cop
Meanwhile, a top police officer in Tamil Nadu has been accused of harassment by a woman IPS officer, police sources said on Tuesday. The complainant allegedly accused the top officer of misbehaving with her while on duty during a tour of Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami.
DMK MP Kanimozhi tweeted today, "In AIADMK’s regime, even the people protecting us need protection. When a woman IPS officer is sexually harassed by a higher ranked officer and the CM takes no notice of it, then how can he assure safety for ordinary women?”
Several Twitter handles, including those of journalists, commented on the tweet asking why DMK allowed a platform for Vairamuthu.
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