DMK leader A Raja expressed his sincere apology to the Chief Minister for his distasteful remarks today.
Coimbatore: A. Raja said, "I regret that what I said about the Chief Minister’s mother was being misunderstood. I saw the Chief tear up and I apologize to the Chief Minister for that," at the press meet today.
DMK leader A. Raja's speech compared the political development of DMK leader Stalin and Chief Minister Edappadi Palanisamy, sparking controversy. Many on social media have condemned his remarks. PMK founder S Ramadoss also condemned A. Raja's controversial speech.
Stalin made a statement that DMK will not allow him to speak in an undignified manner, in the wake of controversial speeches of A. Raja and Leoni.
Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, who was campaigning in Tiruvottiyur, Chennai, expressed his grief and said that A. Raja had spoken insultingly about his mother. He also teared up and was unable to speak for a while. He then resumed his campaign.
CM Edappadi Palaniswami also said, "They are hurling abuses when an ordinary man becomes the Chief Minister. If this is the case for a Chief Minister, who will protect ordinary people?Think about the situation of ordinary women and women who come to power. My mother was born in the village, a farmer, who worked day and night. She is dead and she was insulted by the DMK member. Whether rich or poor, a mother is revered highly. Whoever speaks disparagingly of mothers will be punished by the Lord."
This speech went viral and women staged protests in many parts of Tamil Nadu and burnt images of A. Raja. The speech is likely to resonate with voters in the Kongu region. Hence A. Raja hurried to meet with the reporters this morning and said that he will personally apologize to the chief minister for his action.
A. Raja said, "I spoke at a press conference in Perambalur two days ago about the issue that I had raised about the Chief Minister. However, as the debate continued, I did not speak ill of CM Edappadi or his mother during the Cuddalore election campaign. I spoke in the sense that I was my mother's 8th son. However, I am deeply saddened to learn that the Chief Minister was hurt by my speech."
He later apologised for this action. "I regret from the bottom of my heart my speech which was wrongly portrayed and misunderstood. Going one step further, I have no hesitation in apologizing to Chief Minister Edappadi Palanisamy if he feels that he has been hurt. I would like to reiterate to the Chief Minister and his party and the mediators that my speech was not a personal critique of the two leaders. It is a comparison and evaluation of two political personalities in public life. I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused to Chief Minister Palanisamy," he added.
In his explanation, he quoted Judge Saini and said the 2G case was similarly misunderstood and fabricated. He told, "Judge Saini, who heard the 2-G case against me, concluded with four English words on the last page of his judgment on how the case was fabricated by Misreading, Selective reading, Non-reading and Out of Context reading of files. Likewise if you fully listen to my 40 minute speech on the issue, I hope you will give a similar verdict."
Political observers believe that the issue has ended after A. Raja apologized.
DMK leader A. Raja's speech compared the political development of DMK leader Stalin and Chief Minister Edappadi Palanisamy, sparking controversy. Many on social media have condemned his remarks. PMK founder S Ramadoss also condemned A. Raja's controversial speech.
Stalin made a statement that DMK will not allow him to speak in an undignified manner, in the wake of controversial speeches of A. Raja and Leoni.
Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, who was campaigning in Tiruvottiyur, Chennai, expressed his grief and said that A. Raja had spoken insultingly about his mother. He also teared up and was unable to speak for a while. He then resumed his campaign.
CM Edappadi Palaniswami also said, "They are hurling abuses when an ordinary man becomes the Chief Minister. If this is the case for a Chief Minister, who will protect ordinary people?Think about the situation of ordinary women and women who come to power. My mother was born in the village, a farmer, who worked day and night. She is dead and she was insulted by the DMK member. Whether rich or poor, a mother is revered highly. Whoever speaks disparagingly of mothers will be punished by the Lord."
This speech went viral and women staged protests in many parts of Tamil Nadu and burnt images of A. Raja. The speech is likely to resonate with voters in the Kongu region. Hence A. Raja hurried to meet with the reporters this morning and said that he will personally apologize to the chief minister for his action.
A. Raja said, "I spoke at a press conference in Perambalur two days ago about the issue that I had raised about the Chief Minister. However, as the debate continued, I did not speak ill of CM Edappadi or his mother during the Cuddalore election campaign. I spoke in the sense that I was my mother's 8th son. However, I am deeply saddened to learn that the Chief Minister was hurt by my speech."
He later apologised for this action. "I regret from the bottom of my heart my speech which was wrongly portrayed and misunderstood. Going one step further, I have no hesitation in apologizing to Chief Minister Edappadi Palanisamy if he feels that he has been hurt. I would like to reiterate to the Chief Minister and his party and the mediators that my speech was not a personal critique of the two leaders. It is a comparison and evaluation of two political personalities in public life. I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused to Chief Minister Palanisamy," he added.
In his explanation, he quoted Judge Saini and said the 2G case was similarly misunderstood and fabricated. He told, "Judge Saini, who heard the 2-G case against me, concluded with four English words on the last page of his judgment on how the case was fabricated by Misreading, Selective reading, Non-reading and Out of Context reading of files. Likewise if you fully listen to my 40 minute speech on the issue, I hope you will give a similar verdict."
Political observers believe that the issue has ended after A. Raja apologized.