Chennai, Oct 1 Dismissing the DMK’s charge that TVK Dharapuram candidate P Sathyabama’s tears were staged to garner public sympathy, Tamil Nadu Minister for School Education and Information A Rajmohan on Thursday condemned the “sheer malice” of the opposition.
The row erupted following Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay’s by-election campaign in Dharapuram, where Sathyabama suddenly broke into tears during her speech after Rajmohan whispered something in her ears.
Kanimozhi subsequently accused the ruling party leadership of scripting the emotional episode to garner political sympathy ahead of the by-polls.
“This is sheer malice. I am shocked by what akka (Kanimozhi) spoke. I register my strongest condemnation,” Rajmohan told reporters on the sidelines of an event organised to mark actor Sivaji Ganesan’s 99th birth anniversary here.
Rajmohan maintained that he was merely telling Sathyabama to wrap up the speech.
Recalling his prior experience as a professional stage anchor, Rajmohan pointed out that even superstars Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan were requested to cut their speeches short during the centenary celebrations of late DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi.
“I swear on my mother, these allegations are completely baseless and wild. The organisers only said ‘make it fast’ because the Chief Minister had been traveling for more than eight hours in the scorching heat, completely drenched in sweat, and large crowds of people had been waiting under the sun for hours. Asking a speaker to make it quick under such circumstances is routine, not a political drama,” Rajmohan told reporters.
Drawing parallels from his past career coordinating high-profile political events for former Chief Minister M K Stalin and former Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, Rajmohan said stage organisers regularly send prompts to manage time.
“Even during the centenary celebrations of Muthamizh Arignar Kalaignar, where I was the lead host before thousands of people, organizers would radio in via walkie-talkies asking me to tell other speakers to keep it short after Rajini sir and Kamal sir had spoken. It is a basic reality of public events. For a senior leader to twist a woman’s tears and peddle negativity for political mileage is unacceptable,” he added.
Meanwhile, addressing a separate tribute event to commemorate the legendary actor’s 99th anniversary, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president Manickam Tagore also blasted the DMK for labelling others’ campaigns as “drama”.
Dismissing the DMK’s charges as outright falsehoods, Tagore remarked that taking such accusations seriously would merely amount to “wasting everyone’s time”.
“Let them say whatever they want. When they go to the people, it is campaigning, but when others reach out to the public, it becomes a drama? Where is the fairness in that? They are simply speaking lies, and responding seriously to such talk is just wasting your time and mine,” Tagore told reporters.
(PTI News)
