Chennai:
Tamil Nadu Forest Minister K Ponmoodi, who stopped a controversy for his derogatory remarks on women and Shaivism and Vaishnavism ‘symbols’, on Saturday said he apologized for his ‘unfair remarks’.
Ponmoodi, who was snatched away from the post of Deputy General Secretary of his party to the DMK for his unnatural comments, said that he honestly apologized for ‘inappropriate words’, which he used while speaking at an event organized by Thantai Periyar Dravid Kajgam.
He said in the statement, “I immediately felt deeply regrettable for the words that I used in an inappropriate context. As if someone has long been in public life, I have a deep regret of this lapse in the decision,” he said in the statement.
He further said, “I regret that my speech has hurt many people and has created a shameful situation for them. I once again offer my heartfelt apology to everyone who was hurt by my words.” After the video of his speech went viral, DMK President and Chief Minister MK Stalin removed Ponmudi from the post of Deputy General Secretary of the party on April 11 and appointed the party’s Rajya Sabha member Tiruchi Shiva in his place, which gave him relief from his (SIVA) post.
Reacting rapidly to the incident, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad North Tamil Nadu demanded the Stalin Cabinet to immediately remove Ponmudi.
Also read: Tamil minister’s “disgusting” comment on sex workers triggers the fiery line
Condemning Ponmudi’s “porn” speech, the state president of VHP North TN, Andal P Chacklingam, said at a DMK event on 6 April, saying, the minister used cheap and rude words to reduce Hindu symbols, which could not be tolerated by any civil society.
“Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin should focus it seriously and if he stands secularism that he preachs, he should immediately remove Ponmoodi from the post of minister,” said Chokkalingam.
Chokalingam said in a statement here that Ponmudi should not be allowed to continue as a minister and should be removed from the post of Deputy General Secretary in DMK. He announced that VHP would protest against this demand on 15 April.
Saying that the minister’s derogatory remarks have reduced to an all -time, AIADMK General Secretary Edappi’s Palaniswami said that women, people of religion and various religious beliefs were constantly humiliated and the latest insults were from Ponomudi.
Although such “indecent works” have become part of the history of DMK, the people of Tamil Nadu will never accept such “disgusting and distorted views,” the AIADMK leader said in a statement here.
Ponmudi’s indecent speech has given a lot of pain and shock among the public, said Palaniswami said and announced that her party’s women’s wing would hold a protest here on 16 April, condemning the Tamil Nadu Forest Minister for alleged pornographic and derogatory remarks against women.
Meanwhile, President of the state of Hindu Munnani, Kadeshwar Subramaniam also announced a statewide demonstration on 15 April, demanding the removal of Ponmudi from the post of minister.
(Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is published by a syndicated feed.)
