A remark made at a political rally has plunged Tamil Nadu’s election campaign into fresh controversy, with AIADMK Rajya Sabha MP C.V. Shanmugam facing a storm of condemnation from across the political spectrum and Tamil cinema’s most prominent institution after he made an objectionable comment invoking actress Nayanthara at a public gathering on Monday, March 17.
The incident occurred during an NDA rally held at Viluppuram, organised to protest against the DMK government, in which Shanmugam participated as a speaker. While referencing the Tamil Nadu government’s initiative called Kanaavai Sollungal (Share Your Dreams), Shanmugam made a remark to the effect of “I want Nayanthara, will you fulfil that?” a statement that was vulgar and deeply inappropriate by any standard of public discourse, and one that went viral on social media within hours.
The backlash was swift and came from multiple directions simultaneously. DMK MPs Kanimozhi and Jothimani condemned the remarks in strong terms. BJP administrator Khushbu Sundar, though from the NDA fold, also publicly condemned the statement, making clear that no political affiliation could justify such language at a public platform. Actor and Tollywood personality Vishnu Manchu also added his voice to those condemning the remark.
The South Indian Artistes’ Association, Nadigar Sangam issued a formal statement on March 17, demanding a public apology from Shanmugam and an assurance that he would never again speak in a derogatory manner about women in the film industry. In its statement, the association called the remarks “utterly disgraceful” and noted the outpouring of anger from actors across the industry. Invoking the spirit of the age, the statement declared: “This is the era of women. There is no field they have not conquered from rockets piercing the sky to drivers of heavy machinery, teachers, lawyers, doctors.” The association pointedly asked Shanmugam whether his party ideology and leaders had sanctioned or endorsed such language, reminding him that his own party’s revered leader, the late Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, was herself a towering example of female achievement in public life.
Also facing criticism was fellow AIADMK leader Dindigul Srinivasan, who reportedly made an obscene remark at a separate rally in the same period, further compounding the controversy around opposition leaders’ conduct on the campaign trail.
Chief Minister M.K. Stalin responded on X on March 18, offering a pointed contrast between the two sides without naming the individuals directly. Posting a split image of the respective stages, he wrote: “On our stage, we speak of achievements with data and the beneficiaries of Tamil Nadu’s future. On the other side, those who have neither achievements to speak of nor policies to act on are throwing obscenities and slander. The people of Tamil Nadu are watching everything. Our people will choose the dawn that brings development.”
The episode adds yet another layer of controversy to Tamil Nadu’s increasingly heated election campaign ahead of the April 23 polls, and raises uncomfortable questions about the language deployed by elected representatives at public rallies particularly when it is directed at women.
-Samuthiran
