On Tuesday, November 1, the Chennai police booked Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) spokesperson Saidai Sadiq. The leader was booked for the lewd remarks he had made about women actors-turned-BJP leaders in Tamil Nadu.
DMK leader booked over lewd remarks against BJP leader Khushboo in Chennai
— NDTV (@ndtv) November 1, 2022
NDTV’s Sam Daniel reports pic.twitter.com/vdkU9GXWMF
The police have invoked IPC Sections 153 (provocation with the intention to cause riot), 294(b) (obscene words in a public place), 505(1)(b) and 509 (insulting modesty of women) and section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Women Harassment Act against the DMK leader.
Sections invoked: 153 (provocation with intention to cause riot), 294(b) (obscene words in public place), 505(1)(b), 509 IPC (insulting modesty of women) r/w section 4 of Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Women Harassment Act.
— Srikkanth (@Srikkanth_07) November 1, 2022
It may be recalled how DMK leader Saidai Sadiq’s unparliamentary remarks against women-BJP leaders sparked a major controversy in Tamil Nadu. On Saturday, October 29, Tamil Nadu Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Annamalai wrote to National Commission of Women (NCW) chairperson Rekha Sharma seeking her immediate intervention against the derogatory remarks made by Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam DMK spokesperson Saidai Sadiq about women actors-turned-BJP leaders in Tamil Nadu.
The entire controversy erupted after a video clip surfaced on social media platforms, wherein DMK spokesperson identified as Saidai Sadiq mocked Khushbu Sundar and three other BJP leaders like actor Namitha, Gayathri Raghuram and Gautami by calling them “items” (a derogatory way of referring to women). The DMK leader was speaking at a public meeting held by the party leaders to thank Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin for getting reelected as DMK leader for the second time.
In his speech, Saidai Sadiq made a sexual innuendo about Khushbu while talking about the time when she was a member of the DMK. He could be heard saying the saffron party depended only on these “actresses” to make inroads into Tamil Nadu.
Following the outrage, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) women’s wing secretary and MP Kanimozhi took to Twitter on October 27 to apologise for the unparliamentary remarks made by her party’s spokesperson Saidai Sadiq about women actors-turned-BJP leaders in Tamil Nadu.
