Tamil Nadu polls: Smriti Irani hits out at Raja, says DMK doesn't respect women

CHENNAI: Union Minister Smriti Irani on Saturday lashed out at DMK MP A Raja for his alleged unsavoury personal remarks at Chief Minister K Palaniswami and accused the DMK of being a party that does not respect women.

Without naming Raja and referring to his reported remarks against "a Chief Minister," (Palaniswami), she said "DMK is such a political party that does not respect women."

The Union Minister for Women and Child Development and Textiles was campaigning for BJP's Thousand Lights candidate, actor-politician Khushbu Sundar, for the April 6 assembly polls.

The BJP and AIADMK are facing the polls as allies.

"Will they (DMK) give respect to average Tamil women. Do remember this when you go to polling station on April 6 to vote," Irani said and appealed to the people to vote for their own families and not for the DMK's 'dynasty.'

After Raja's alleged remarks, the AIADMK has preferred a complaint with the state Chief Electoral Officer demanding that the former Union Minister be debarred from campaigning for undermining the reputation of the chief minister.

DMK president M K Stalin has also urged his party cadres to refrain from using undignified language in their poll speeches.

Pointing out that voting for the BJP amounted to a clear mandate for the Centre's development and transparency, Irani said "BJP stands for development, people's prosperity and respect for women."

"Also, imagine what the Congress-led UPA would have done during the pandemic. Would they have released Rs 30,000 crore directly into the bank accounts of 22 crore poor women," she asked.

The DMK, the minister said, represents "Dynasty, Money and Katta panchayat," repeating the statement made by her party chief JP Nadda during his election rally in Tamil Nadu on Friday.

"They looted our democracy so that their family could make money and Katta panchayat to ensure the mafia raj of DMK and Congress persists in this country," Irani said addressing a huge gathering at a BJP roadshow here.

"But today we are before you to plead that autocracy does not rise again and Katta panchayat (kangaroo court) does not rear its head. So when you go to polling booth, vote for your families, for democracy and BJP," she said while listing various pro-people initiatives of the Central BJP government.

She also campaigned for the BJP Harbour constituency candidate Vinoj P Selvam.

She later took to Twitter to share pictures of her election-related engagements in the city.