Chennai : A trip on Chennai’s newly-inaugurated Metro Rail by DMK scion M K Stalin on Wednesday to ostensibly score political brownie points over his rival and Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has triggered a controversy with a video of him ”slapping” a youth going viral on social media, a day later.
Stalin had on Wednesday boarded the Metro Rail from Koyambedu in Chennai, both as a publicity exercise as well as to highlight that it was the erstwhile DMK Government that had initiated the steps for bringing Metro Rail to the city.
While on the train, video footage showed him admonishing a youth and asking him to move away. When the youth remained standing at the same place, Stalin gestured to him with his hand to get out and, in the process, the back of his palm brushed past the youth’s cheeks.
While journalists accompanying Stalin did not take note of this, a three-second video footage was soon circulated by the AIADMK’s Information Technology Cell accusing Stalin of slapping a passenger on the Metro Rail.
On Thursday, it snowballed into a major controversy with Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa issuing a statement condemning Stalin for slapping the passenger. “The act of Stalin is strongly condemnable. His behaviour is unbecoming of a legislator.
He should realise that in public places, everyone has equal rights,” she said. However, Stalin quickly responded with a Facebook post denying the allegation. “A party worker in his misplaced enthusiasm was standing in the way, which was hindering other passengers; I reprimanded him and asked him to move.
This incident has been misinterpreted and misrepresented by some mischievous elements,” he contended.
Stalin further accused Jayalalithaa of not treating her party workers and officials with respect. “It is a well-known fact that she encourages her party men and women to fall at her feet and treats them in an inhumane manner.
The entire nation is watching and mocking the videos of her ministers falling not just at her feet but also on the ground when her helicopter lands or takes off,” he alleged.
Meanwhile, late on Thursday evening, Karthik Rajendran, the youth who was ”slapped”, told journalists that he was a DMK cadre and was not slapped by his leader. “Stalin uncle did not slap me. He was asking me to move aside and waved his hand as I unintentionally stomped a woman’s feet.
I never felt that I was slapped,” he said, adding that Stalin was his “role model.” Karthik also added that he did not want the incident to be politicised. Incidentally, actor Khusbhu, who had quit the DMK and joined the Congress after being allegedly sidelined by Stalin, came to his rescue on Thursday.
“It is not a slap. It is just a flick on the cheek,” she said accusing his detractors of selectively editing the video and circulating it on social media. “He never reacts like this. This looks like a conspiracy to tarnish his image,” she said.
