Amid the controversy sparked over the remarks passed by DMK's A Raja on Chief Minister E K Palaniswami, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader had filed a plea in Madras High Court challenging the Election Commission of India's decision to ban him from campaigning in poll-bound Tamil Nadu for 48 hours. However, the high court rejected his plea read a report in India Today.
Soon after his remarks, Tamil Nadu's ruling party AIADMK had demanded to the election body to ban him from the campaign over his crude comments disparaging the Chief Minister.
"A Raja's speech was not only derogatory but also obscene and lowered the dignity of the motherhood of women, which is a serious violation of the poll code," said the Election Commission while announcing the ban and dropping the DMK leader as a star campaigner of his party.
Earlier in the day, reprimanding the 57-year-old former Union Minister, the Election Commission said, "The Commission advises you to be watchful and not to make intemperate, indecent, derogatory, obscene remarks and lower the dignity of women in future during the election campaign."
While comparing MK Stalin and E Palaniswamy's political journey during a rally last week, A Raja had commented that "one can say Stalin is born in the proper way, nine months after a proper marriage and rituals. Whereas Edappadi is born like a premature baby and came all of a sudden."
The DMK leader apologized for the comments, saying he was "misunderstood" and regretted saying the words from the "bottom of his heart" if they distressed the Chief Minister.
But he was distinctly unapologetic and even defiant in his response to the Election Commission's demand that he explain his crass comments.
"In Tamil oratory, simile is a well-accepted norm. In my speech, evolution of the political heights and their means of MK Stalin and Edappadi Palanisami were compared by me through a simile as newborn babies for the easy understanding of the common mass," Mr Raja told.
While, the Election Commission today said his response was not satisfactory.
