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In this edition of News Track, anchor Maria Shakeel examines the issue of women being targeted in political crossfire, highlighting recent remarks involving actor Trisha Krishnan and subsequent police action against Tamil Nadu Leader of Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin.
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00:00Good evening, you're watching NewsTrack with me, Maria Shaquille.
00:03In every war, the first casualties are often the most vulnerable, women and children.
00:09And in the battlefield of politics, women have too often been made collateral
00:14because when political arguments run out of ammunition,
00:18something else is often pulled into the fight.
00:21A woman's body, her appearance, her family, her marriage, her relationships and even her character.
00:26And we have seen it repeatedly.
00:28Last year, BJP leader Ramesh Biduri faced backlash after making a remark about Priyanka Gandhi's cheeks during the Delhi campaign.
00:37In 2024, the Election Commission censured BJP leader Dilip Ghosh for derogatory remarks
00:44against former West Bengal Chief Minister Mahmouda Banerjee.
00:48The poll panel also schooled Congress leader Supriya Srinath for objectionable comments about BJP MP Kangana Ranawad.
00:55The Election Commission highlighted that personal attacks in politics cut across party lines.
01:01BJP MP Kangana Ranawad herself has faced personal attacks during political battles.
01:07Former Congress President Sonia Gandhi has been mocked and attacked not merely for her politics,
01:12but for her ethnicity and identity.
01:16And women, who aren't even politicians like Trisha Krishnan,
01:21have often been dragged into political crossfire simply because of who they are friends with.
01:27So why have women become pawns in politics?
01:31And why is this still considered a fair game?
01:33The controversy over remarks involving Trisha and the subsequent police action against leader of opposition
01:40in Tamil Nadu Assembly, Udenadi, Stalin, has triggered a fierce political confrontation in Tamil Nadu.
01:48Udenadi has disputed the allegations and called the case politically motivated,
01:53while the complaint alleges objectionable remarks.
01:59He was arrested for the same and was released a short while ago.
02:03So tonight the larger question is not simply who said what, it is this.
02:09Can political parties finally draw a line between attacking an opponent's politics and attacking a woman's dignity?
02:17Because democracy allows politicians to be criticised.
02:21It does not require women to be humiliated for politics to be fought.
02:25And perhaps it is time we start asking politicians to develop better political language.
02:32Because if politics is changing, political conduct must change with it.
02:37And it's time we say enough is enough.
02:39And Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay has set a tough but ultimately right precedent.
02:46First of the story and then I bring in the guests.
02:56A piece of breaking news coming in now, Udenadi, Stalin's first comments after being released in Tamil Nadu.
03:02He has said he was deliberately misquoted by the Vijay government, which has accused him of saying things he never
03:08said.
03:09Also reaffirms that he will not be intimidated by this false case.
03:14This is Udenadi Stalin saying after he left the Tanjavur Police Station few minutes ago.
03:22This is his first reaction which has come.
03:53This is his first reaction which has come.
03:55This is his first reaction which has come.
03:58This is the situation which is a пост.
04:01He is a hostage and a family member which is all his husband and his family.
04:08As far as he adopted, it is the last time he was committed to installing the stone.
04:21After he died on the scene at the Tianan on the floor and died there.
04:45The Nidhi Stalin there saying that this is a diversionary tactic by the Vijaya government
04:51and that he has not said anything which he is being accused of saying
04:56and that the manner in which he was detained and then later released
05:01raises a lot of questions of the manner in which the government in Tamil Nadu is functioning.
05:06He has said that 3,000 cops picked me like I'm a terrorist.
05:11Udenhidi Stalin, who is the leader of opposition in Tamil Nadu Assembly,
05:14saying that this is diversionary tactics by Vijaya government.
05:17Lots have to be explained.
05:19I never meant to demean women.
05:21Those are his words.
05:24And let me bring in our first newsmaker on the show tonight,
05:29Karthi Chidambram, member of Parliament of the Congress Party, is joining us live.
05:34Karthi, you have said that both the remark and the arrest were unwarranted,
05:38that a leader of opposition holding a constitutional post should have avoided this comment
05:43and yet the police action was an overreaction.
05:46Where exactly do you draw the line?
05:50If the video shows him, which is Udenhidi Stalin smiling and responding instead of silencing the Trisha chants,
05:59isn't the real failure one of judgment rather than just process?
06:03See, I think the leader of opposition in Tamil Nadu definitely need not have indulged in this innuendo-laced barb
06:15during the course of his addressing an audience regarding the Kaveri water issue.
06:21And he is only distracting the attention from the issue on hand.
06:27But if somebody was aggrieved, they could have definitely proceeded with the legal action.
06:33I'm sure there are enough provisions in the law to proceed against a distasteful speech.
06:38But that does not require a battalion of policemen to go and seek custody and drive across the state for
06:47questioning
06:48because all evidence is in videograph form.
06:52So you could have proceeded with the legal action.
06:55I personally believe that pre-trial arrest is completely unnecessary in almost every matter in this country.
07:04Unless and until somebody is an actual physical threat to another person
07:09or you fear that they will intimidate or destroy evidence,
07:13there is no reason to have custodial interrogation or pre-trial arrest.
07:18And especially in cases where all evidence is documentary or in videography form,
07:24please proceed under the relevant section of law and have a trial.
07:29If somebody is found guilty, then sentence them.
07:32And Karthi, your colleague Jyoti Mani has been sharper.
07:36She has called the remark of gentrification of a woman with no political role
07:40and has said that Udhanidi should have reprimanded his own crowd.
07:44You stop at avoidable.
07:46Is Congress speaking in two voices on this?
07:49Or do you agree with her that the words themselves crossed a line?
07:55No, not at all.
07:56This is...
08:00See, this has been part of Tamil Nadu's Dravidian party political discourse for many, many years.
08:09Particularly those who come from the pantheon of Dravidian politics and cinema-backed politics
08:17have always indulged in this kind of double-meaning, innuendo, laced, barbs against political opponents
08:26or people associated with them.
08:28The Congress party does not indulge in this kind of lexicon.
08:32This is not part of our culture.
08:34And I think it was completely avoidable.
08:36He should have exercised better judgment.
08:38He is reasonably seasoned.
08:40He is a second-time MLA.
08:42And he's been around politics for long.
08:45He should have exercised better judgment.
08:47The fact that he did not exercise better judgment is condemnable.
08:50But the fact is that does it require police action?
08:53I don't think it requires police action.
08:55Does it require, say, a legal action?
08:58That is depending on the person who feels aggrieved.
09:00But this is a sideshow.
09:02What we should be focusing on is the water management arrangement we have with Karnataka
09:07and the first budget of this newly elected government, which is new tomorrow.
09:11But we don't seem to be talking that.
09:13Since morning, we have all wasted time to going up and down on this unwanted comment
09:20and an unwarranted reaction.
09:23The action and reaction both could have been avoided and saved you and me a lot of time.
09:27Yes, but you say that innuendo-laced language is how Tamil Nadu politics has been.
09:33But don't you think then that TVK chief and the chief minister of Tamil Nadu has drawn the new red
09:39line,
09:40that a new politician is sending a message that shaming and insulting women as collateral in politics must end?
09:50No, this is not new.
09:53New governments which have had the mechanism of the state in their hand have always used it against their political
10:00opponents.
10:01This is not new.
10:01We are not going in a new path here.
10:03That is my worry.
10:04The language used by the leader of the opposition is not new.
10:09And the action by the present government is also not new.
10:12This is not a new path.
10:13This is the same old story going over and over again.
10:15I mean, you go back to the time between MGR and Jailalitha, MGR and Karunanithi, then Karunanithi and Jailalitha.
10:22It's the same old, same old.
10:23We are again going back to a personality clash, you know, using the organs of the state and using innuendo
10:31-laced language.
10:32It's the same.
10:33It's not changing.
10:34That's what disappoints me.
10:35We should be focusing.
10:36I think both of them, the chief minister and the leader of the opposition, must be engaging in constructive discussion
10:42and debate about quality of governance and delivery of governance.
10:45Instead of that, we have gone back into the same old rut, according to me.
10:52So, this is not a new age change or it is not a change which I want in Tamil Nadu.
10:56Okay, my last question to you, Karthi Chidhamram.
10:59Congress is now part of this TVK-led government in Tamil Nadu after parting ways with the DMK.
11:05When your former alliance partners, leader of opposition, is arrested over a gender-insensitive remark,
11:12does the party prioritize defending institutional propriety and women's dignity,
11:16or does political arithmetic with the DMK, keeping in mind the India bloc,
11:21still shape how far you are willing to go in criticism?
11:28No, no, this is nothing.
11:30I am criticizing the comment, for sure.
11:36It's not something I would have used.
11:38It's not something the Congress Party would indulge in.
11:40This is distasteful.
11:42It is not necessary.
11:43And I understand how offensive it is to many, many people.
11:49It is offensive.
11:50I mean, I agree with my colleague, Jyothi Mani, when she says this objectifies women.
11:55I understand all that.
11:56I accept all that.
11:57But that is distasteful and I condemn it.
12:00But the reaction and the police action was also not warranted.
12:04I said, and I want Tamil Nadu to be rid of both.
12:07I want Tamil Nadu to be rid of this kind of discourse on public platforms.
12:12And I also want Tamil Nadu to be rid of police action on the hands of the state against political
12:19opponents, which are disproportionate.
12:23All right, Karthi Chitamram, appreciate your time.
12:25Let me bring in Trichy Shiva, who is the floor leader of the DMK in the Rajya Sabha.
12:31He's joining us now.
12:33Mr. Trichy Shiva, DMK's consistent line is that Udena Nidhi named no one.
12:38And that the entire case is a manufactured diversion from the Kaabari issue.
12:43But the video shows him pausing, smiling and responding when the crowd began chanting, Trisha, Trisha.
12:50As a senior parliamentarian yourself and a veteran leader from the state,
12:56do you still maintain that the leader of opposition in Tamil Nadu Assembly has no responsibility to shut downs or
13:05chants rather than play along?
13:10One minute when a person is speaking on a public platform, the two in a big gathering, he would be
13:19concentrating on what he is speaking,
13:21what the crowd is chanting or what the crowd is telling, and to respond to them will totally divert him.
13:28And he never meant anything, he never mentioned about anybody.
13:31So when it was interpreted that he mentioned something or he didn't listen to the audience shouting or he didn't
13:40respond to them,
13:41all are insignificant.
13:43So he was talking about a very important subject, the lifeline of Tamil Nadu, the Kaabari, and about the Meghadadu
13:50Dam.
13:52So he was very much concentrated on that.
13:55So if he keeps on responding, means again audience will be something.
13:59So his speech was not at all centered around that.
14:03He was telling about something else.
14:06So kindly don't connect what the audience said and what he spoke.
14:11And as far as we are concerned, what we are repeatedly telling,
14:16as per Constitution 19.1a, freedom of speech and expression is a basic fundamental right.
14:24And also we know that there are limits to that.
14:28If anyone is found to have exceeded the limits of speaking,
14:32already there are proceedings by way of law.
14:36We have got various sections.
14:38A defamatory case can be filed and it could be tried in a court of law.
14:43And second, if at all police are coming to a person,
14:48they should give them and give the concerned person a notice.
14:52That is earlier 41a of the CRPC and now 353 of BNSS.
14:57Before making an arrest,
14:59the police should have given a notice to that concerned person.
15:02No such formalities have been adhered to.
15:06All of a sudden morning the police came
15:07and because of he was taken to all the way to Tanjavur from his place,
15:12just for interrogation,
15:14it created a huge sensational thing among the cadres in Tamil Nadu.
15:21And that was, I think, could have been totally avoided.
15:26It's not something which is unavoidable.
15:28It could be avoided.
15:29Even the interrogation could have been at his residence itself.
15:33He is the leader of a position of a party
15:34and also the youth wing leader.
15:37So the upsurge will be thereafter.
15:40So what we say is,
15:43he spoke nothing about anybody.
15:45In general he was speaking.
15:47But if it was construed as something other than that,
15:50cases could have been filed
15:52and it could have been on the proper process.
15:56But in the manner he was taken to custody
15:59and later when the court intervened,
16:02it was told that no, it is only for interrogation.
16:05First itself the court said not to arrest him.
16:08Even after that he was done so.
16:10But they meant it as custody and not arrested,
16:13not to remind him or something like that.
16:16And later they gave,
16:18I think the public prosecutor has told that
16:21he won't be remanded,
16:22he will just taken.
16:24And court has again also told that
16:25should be released by today night itself
16:28and now they have released.
16:29Yes.
16:30So this is the things that happened today.
16:35And what we again say is,
16:37in a democratic country,
16:39freedom of speech and expression
16:41are basic rights.
16:43and if it exceeds,
16:44we don't say that
16:45because of freedom of speech
16:46anyone can speak anything about anyone.
16:49Defamatory of course
16:50will amount to
16:54law will take its own course.
16:56And a politician or anybody for that sake
16:59in government or not in government
17:01should have some tolerance.
17:03When M.K. Salin was the chief minister,
17:06how many criticisms were leveled against?
17:07He didn't respond to everyone.
17:10Not cases were fired against each and everyone.
17:13And so also it was with Kalangir,
17:15it was with Madam Jay Lalitha,
17:16it was with MGR.
17:17So no leader is passed.
17:19It starts from Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.
17:21In a democratic country,
17:22that will happen.
17:23Many things,
17:24some things,
17:25law will take its own score
17:27or sometime they will take it
17:29just easily and go off.
17:31But since the beginning,
17:33two MLAs were first arrested.
17:36One was immediately released
17:37and another one was kept under custody.
17:40And later yesterday
17:41was released on condition bail.
17:43And many others have been arrested,
17:45whoever have come on social media
17:48or on public platforms.
17:50So this cannot be the order of the day.
17:53And Sri Chishiva,
17:55Congress MP Jyothi Mani,
17:56once your alliance partner,
17:57has publicly said
17:59that the remark objectified a woman
18:01with no political role
18:03and that Udenhidi should have
18:04reprimanded his own workers.
18:08There were so many comments,
18:11there were so many observations.
18:13For each and everything,
18:14we cannot respond.
18:15Everyone will have their own interest
18:18or their own way of telling things.
18:20But we cannot be responding
18:22or reacting to each and everyone.
18:24I have clearly told you,
18:26I have explained you
18:27what happened
18:28and what is our stance.
18:30Simply that is it.
18:31Everyone,
18:32you can quote someone else,
18:33what they told
18:34and what they said,
18:35someone telling something
18:37from this side.
18:38Cannot be continuously.
18:39As a responsible person,
18:41myself,
18:42you are responsible media
18:44in a democratic country.
18:46When you are asking something,
18:48yes,
18:48I am bound to reply.
18:49And whatever is within our limits,
18:52we can say that only.
18:53Okay, my last question.
18:54But if you start responding to that,
18:55it will lead to something else.
18:56Okay.
18:57My last question,
18:59going forward,
18:59if the investigation
19:00or any court finds
19:01that the remarks
19:03did cross the line
19:04under the women's harassment law,
19:06will DMK still insist
19:07that this was pure vendetta?
19:12I have told you earlier
19:13that he has not crossed,
19:16he has not mentioned
19:17anything about anybody publicly.
19:19It was construed
19:21or misconstrued
19:22or even interpreted
19:24in a manner.
19:25For that,
19:26I say,
19:27if you consider it
19:29as something excess
19:30of freedom speech
19:31or expression,
19:32it could be preceded
19:33in the proper course of law
19:34by way of some other sections
19:36in the law
19:37and it should have been
19:39by way of serving a notice
19:40or other things.
19:42But nothing happened.
19:43All of a sudden,
19:43one fine morning,
19:44all goatees of the police
19:46and creating scenes
19:48and triggering
19:50somewhat outside
19:52all throughout the state,
19:55the cadres coming outside.
19:56Why all these things?
19:57Anything could have been handled
19:59very easily,
20:00very simply.
20:01Okay.
20:02Sriracha Shiva,
20:03I appreciate your time.
20:03Let me bring in
20:04the BJP vice president
20:06of Tamil Nadu
20:07and also actor,
20:09someone I respect immensely,
20:11Khushbu Sundar.
20:12Ma'am,
20:14one view is
20:15that this was
20:16an exaggerated response.
20:18That it was about
20:20excesses
20:21and some kind of
20:22misuse of power
20:23and even vendetta
20:25on the part of
20:27Vijay,
20:28the chief minister.
20:31Here is
20:32the leader of opposition
20:33who says
20:34that he hasn't said
20:35anything which is
20:36being attributed to.
20:37Could this have been
20:39handled differently?
20:40Perhaps with a warning,
20:42not detention.
20:46Maria,
20:47I think it's been
20:48for a very long time
20:50we have been seeing
20:50how men have been
20:52using
20:53their power
20:54to abuse women
20:55across political lines.
20:58Uday Nidi,
20:59Stalin,
21:00has abused women earlier.
21:02I have been subjected
21:04to a lot of
21:04verbal abuse
21:05by the DMK
21:06party,
21:07Khada's
21:08speakers.
21:09We have seen
21:10how Ponmadi of DMK
21:12has abused
21:13Sanatana Dharma
21:14attributing to
21:16women
21:16in such a
21:18vulgar manner.
21:20We have seen
21:21Uday Nidi,
21:21Stalin
21:22again and again
21:24abusing
21:25one particular
21:26faith.
21:27But this is
21:29about
21:29women.
21:30How long
21:31these men
21:31across political
21:32lines
21:33are going to
21:34take it for granted
21:35that it's fine
21:36for me
21:36or it's my
21:38birthright
21:38to abuse
21:39a woman,
21:40rip her
21:41of her dignity,
21:43show that
21:44she is vulnerable
21:45and
21:46that gives me
21:47the strength
21:48to overpower
21:49her
21:49and abuse
21:51her more.
21:52If Uday Nidi,
21:53Stalin,
21:54says
21:54that today
21:55his comments
21:56what he has
21:57made about
21:58one particular
21:59actor and
21:59this I'm not
22:00talking about
22:01one particular
22:02female actor.
22:03I speak to
22:05you,
22:05I sit in front
22:06of you because
22:06I'm a woman
22:07and I think
22:08it's high time
22:09this stops.
22:11This needs
22:12to stop.
22:13Every time a
22:13woman is
22:15abused,
22:15she's sexually
22:16assaulted,
22:17it's immediately
22:18oh didn't this
22:18happen in a
22:19Congress rule
22:19state,
22:20didn't this
22:20happen in a
22:21BJP rule
22:21state,
22:22didn't this
22:22happen in so
22:23and so rule
22:23state.
22:24Then there
22:25are no
22:25boundary lines.
22:26Then women
22:26sexual assault
22:27or rape
22:28is about
22:28which political
22:30party she
22:30belongs to
22:31or which
22:32political party
22:33is heading
22:33the state.
22:35Why is it
22:35we do not
22:36collectively say
22:37that a woman
22:37of this
22:38country or
22:39the daughter
22:39of this
22:40nation has
22:40been sexually
22:41assaulted?
22:42And today
22:43what we see
22:44the comments
22:44made against
22:45one particular
22:45female actor
22:46by the leader
22:47of opposition
22:48in Tamil Nadu,
22:49I say it's
22:50about a woman
22:51ripping of
22:52her dignity.
22:54I would
22:55like to
22:56ask the
22:57same men
22:58that I
22:58didn't mean
22:59will it
23:00be okay
23:00if any
23:01one of
23:01us very
23:02indirectly
23:03make such
23:04lewd comments
23:05about the
23:06women from
23:06their family
23:07and say we
23:08didn't mean
23:08it.
23:09Will that
23:10be acceptable
23:11to them?
23:12I hope
23:12that the
23:13DMK will
23:13not come
23:14throwing stones
23:14in my
23:14house.
23:15They will
23:16not pull
23:16my saree,
23:17they will
23:17not throw
23:18slippers at
23:18me.
23:19Will
23:20Mudani
23:20make sure
23:21that these
23:22kind of
23:22things do
23:22not happen
23:23because it
23:23has happened
23:24in the
23:24past?
23:25Will he
23:25give me
23:25an assurance
23:26that you
23:26can speak
23:26about the
23:27women of
23:27my family
23:27indirectly
23:29and then
23:29come up
23:30with a
23:30statement
23:30and say
23:31that it
23:31was not
23:33attributed
23:33towards the
23:34women of
23:34your family
23:35and still
23:36give me
23:36an assurance
23:36that nobody
23:37is going
23:37to throw
23:38stones in
23:39my house?
23:40Can he
23:40give me
23:40an assurance
23:41of that?
23:41But tell
23:42me,
23:42is this
23:43about Vijay
23:44saying that
23:46this is going
23:47to be the
23:47precedent?
23:48That a
23:49word against
23:51Trisha would
23:52mean that
23:53there would
23:54be...
23:55Again,
23:55I'm saying
23:57this is
23:58about
23:59one woman.
24:00I think
24:00all women
24:01have been
24:02tired of
24:03waiting,
24:03like we
24:03see Tamil Nadu
24:04was waiting
24:04for a
24:05change.
24:06And here
24:06we see
24:07that we
24:07have been
24:07tired of
24:08waiting for
24:08any political
24:09party to
24:09come up
24:10and say
24:10that we
24:10are going
24:10to stop
24:11all these
24:11kind of
24:12misogynist
24:12talks,
24:13sexiest
24:13remarks
24:13against
24:14women.
24:15We have
24:15been saying
24:15time and
24:16again in
24:16Tamil Nadu.
24:17And I'm
24:17talking about
24:17Tamil Nadu
24:17alone.
24:18It's
24:18happening all
24:18over the
24:19country.
24:19But I'm
24:20saying in
24:20Tamil Nadu.
24:21I'm saying
24:22that you
24:22say women
24:23are not
24:24going to
24:25be part
24:25of a
24:26conversation.
24:27Now the
24:28female actor
24:28we are
24:28talking about
24:29here,
24:30please tell
24:30me is she
24:31anyway connected
24:32to Vijay's
24:32political party?
24:33Does she
24:34hold any
24:35political position
24:35in the
24:36party?
24:36Is she
24:37part of
24:37the
24:37government?
24:38No,
24:38she's not.
24:39Where you
24:40give a
24:40pause,
24:41how you
24:42are your
24:42own party
24:43karas of
24:43the sling
24:44and hooting,
24:45they are
24:45laughing,
24:45you smirk,
24:47you are
24:47on a
24:47sly,
24:48you comment
24:48and you
24:49know you
24:49are making
24:50a vulgar
24:50comment because
24:51then you
24:51add on to
24:52it saying
24:52that oh I
24:53was talking
24:54only about
24:54Kaveri
24:55water.
24:56You think
24:57everyone is
24:58dumb and
24:59you are the
24:59smartest of
25:00the lot?
25:02Has a line
25:03been drawn
25:03today?
25:05Yes and I'm
25:06glad that it
25:06has been.
25:07Somebody needs
25:07to build
25:08the cat and
25:08if it happens
25:09to be my
25:09chief minister
25:10of my
25:10state,
25:10Mr.
25:11Joseph Vijay,
25:12I say
25:13congratulations
25:13young man,
25:14you have done
25:14a great job.
25:18always a
25:19pleasure
25:19speaking to
25:20you.
25:20Thank you so
25:21much.
25:22Thank you,
25:23Maria.
25:23Thank you for
25:23joining us on
25:24the show
25:25tonight.
25:25Of course,
25:27even as
25:27politicians are
25:29open to
25:29criticism,
25:30should their
25:30family be
25:32open to
25:32criticism and
25:33such kind of
25:34lewd remarks is
25:35the larger
25:35question as
25:36well.
25:36That's all
25:37from me.
25:37Thanks so
25:38much for
25:38watching.
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