In remarks that could trigger another controversy, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) leader R B Udhayakumar on Tuesday took a swipe at Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, sarcastically asking when actor Trisha Krishnan would be appointed as the state's deputy chief minister.
Udhayakumar's remarks came days after former Tamil Nadu deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin sparked an uproar with an offensive remark apparently aimed at Trisha. Udhayanidhi was arrested for over 10 hours before being released last week.
Vijay and Trisha have worked together in several films.
In a video that has gone viral, Udhayakumar alleged that the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government was appointing people associated with Vijay, including producers and technical crew members who had worked on his films, to various government positions.
He referred to appointments including a temple trustee, the Tamil Nadu government's Special Representative in New Delhi, the chief minister's personal secretary, the head of the state film training institute and government advisers.
Udhayakumar then sarcastically asked when Trisha would be appointed as deputy chief minister.
“The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, which sits on the throne of Tamil Nadu's governance, has been proclaiming the slogan "equality by birth" (Pirappokkum Ella Uyirkkum). We all believed it, but now the government appointments are turning into a major controversy. Producers and technical artists who worked in Chief Minister Vijay’s films are currently being quietly appointed to government positions. Currently, as a member of the Temple Board of Trustees, Chief Minister Vijay's GOAT movie producer Archana Kalpathi, whose roots are in Kerala, has been appointed,” he said.
“Earlier, Karnataka-rooted Venkat Narayana, the producer of the film Jananayagan starring our Chief Minister Vijay, was appointed as Tamil Nadu government's Special Representative in Delhi. Similarly, Jagadish Palanisamy, co-producer of Vijay’s film Leo, has been appointed as the Chief Minister's Personal Secretary. Manoj Paramahamsa, the cinematographer of the Vijay-starrer Beast, has been appointed as the Chairman of the Film and Television Institute of Tamil Nadu,” he added.
Udhayakumar continued: “Furthermore, the Chief Minister's close aides John Arokiaswamy and Ramkumar have been appointed as government advisors. Tamil Nadu is now waiting in shock and anticipation to see when an announcement will be made appointing Ms Trisha as the Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.”
Amid the fresh controversy, Trisha on Tuesday shared a cryptic Instagram Story that read: “Drama at this age is embarrassing… Go make some money and find peace”.
She did not name anyone in the post. It came after the video featuring Udhayakumar's remarks surfaced and a week after Udhayanidhi's comments targeting the actor.
Posters put up by a Trisha fan club also surfaced in Madurai, criticising Udhayakumar's remarks.
The latest controversy follows Udhayanidhi's arrest last week over an obscene remark apparently aimed at Trisha.
He was arrested on charges including insulting the modesty of a woman, obscenity and criminal intimidation.
The controversy began on August 3, when Udhayanidhi was addressing a rally in Thanjavur over the Cauvery water-sharing issue, a century-old point of contention between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. As the crowd chanted Trisha's name, Udhayanidhi made an obscene remark.
On August 4, he was arrested from his residence in Chennai at 10am and taken to Thanjavur.
The DMK subsequently took to the streets and approached the Madras High Court, where the state government said Udhayanidhi would be released “today itself”.
Later that evening, he was taken to the Sengipatti police station after large crowds gathered in Thanjavur, around 350km from Chennai. He was questioned for more than an hour and released on station bail at around 8pm. He returned to Chennai around midnight.
“They arrested me for nothing. I have not said anything wrong. I have not said anything wrong against anybody,” the son of former Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin said.
The 49-year-old leader later stood atop a vehicle and greeted supporters in Sengipatti. “With 3,000 police personnel, they took us by road from Chennai to Thanjavur like a terrorist,” he said, rejecting the allegation that he had made offensive comments.
DMK chief MK Stalin defended his son.
“Udhayanidhi is not someone who speaks inappropriately. Even if he were to make a mistake in his speech, he is of the nature to apologise immediately,” he said.
AIADMK chief Edapaddi Palaniswami criticised Udhayanidhi.
“Unaware of the dignity of the position he holds, his continuous loose talk and derogatory remarks about women are strongly condemnable,” the former chief minister said.
DMDK chief Premalatha Vijayakanth said, “This act of stifling the opposition is condemnable.”
BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan also attacked the DMK, saying, “We strongly condemn the derogatory words of Udhayanidhi Stalin against womenhood, humiliating women celebrities.”
