“Karunaas behaved in an offensive manner targeting particular communities and speaking ill of them. His speech can trigger social unrest and so he should be disqualified by the Speaker,” said Hari Nadar, state coordinator, Nadar Makkal Sakthi, after submitting a petition to the Speaker on Tuesday. 

In a recent public meeting, Karunaas had criticised Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, challenged Deputy Commissioner Aravindhan, and maligned media houses by calling them casteist. There was an uproar against Karunaas for his speech and he was later arrested.

After his arrest, the demand to disqualify Karunaas from his MLA post is gaining momentum. Hari Nadar, who met representatives of the South Indian Artistes’ Association on Monday, demanded that they remove Karunaas from the Nadigar Sangam for his alleged derogatory speech. On Tuesday, he petitioned the Speaker and submitted a petition at the Chief Minister’s special cell demanding the disqualification of Karunaas. “Karunaas was elected from Thiruvadanai to represent people of all the communities in his constituency but he spoke in a derogatory manner against some communities which has caused a furore among them,” said Hari Nadar.