DMK deputy general secretary A Raja sent an interim reply to the Election Commission of India stating that he neither made any statement that violated the model code of conduct nor one which was derogatory or defamatory against chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami.
Responding to the notice issued by the ECI over his remarks on Palaniswami, Raja said he had only used the simile of newborn babies to explain the evolution of DMK president M K Stalin and CM Palaniswami as political leaders. Raja said he had Dravidian roots and could not denigrate women and added that he also apologised to the CM after getting to know that Palaniswami was hurt.
“I deny that I made any derogatoryor defamatory speeches against the Hon’ble chief minister and I made any speech which would demean or defame women or motherhood,” he said in the reply to ECI.
Pointing out that he belonged to the Dravidian movement, Raja said he couldn’t even dream of bringing direpute to women or motherhood. As a studentof Ambedkar, Periyar and Anna, as someone guided by M Karunanithi and as a DMK member, Raja said he wouldn’t indulge in activities that would bring disrepute to women. The AIADMK and BJP were falsely propagating that he insulted the CM, Raja said.
“I have not spoken anything which is violative of Model Code of Conduct, which is obscene or which will lower the dignity of the motherhood of women, much less any other provision of law,” he said and asked the ECI to issue him a copy of the complaint preferred by the AIADMK so he could respond to the charges made against him.
Raja requested the ECI to consider the full text of his speech, saying if the whole speech was considered it can be discerned that the allegations made were taken out of context and blown out of proportion for political mileage.
Raja also requested the ECI to grant a personal hearing to explain his position.