Stalin uses 'petti' for TVK's bypoll candidate; Vijay's party alleges body-shaming

A fresh TVK vs DMK political row erupted in Tamil Nadu after DMK chief MK Stalin took a dig at TVK's Dharapuram bypoll candidate Sathyabama during a campaign speech, referring to her as "Petti Bama" (Suitcase Bama), as his party alleges that she switched from the AIADMK to TVK after being offered money.TVK hit back at Stalin, accusing the DMK president of body-shaming the party's candidate and making derogatory remarks about women.Addressing a campaign meeting in Dharapuram, Stalin referred to the names by which Sathyabama was allegedly being called."You, the people yourselves. What do you call it now? 'Petti Bama'. There's another one too, 'Palti Bama' (Somersault Bama). I don't know how they managed to do a somersault with that kind of appearance," Stalin said. The remarks drew a sharp response from TVK leaders, who accused Stalin of crossing the limits of political discourse by commenting on Sathyabama's appearance.TVK Industries Minister Keerthana called Stalin's remarks "another low in political discourse" and said derogatory comments about women and attempts to demean their dignity were "absolutely condemnable". She said the issue was about "the dignity and respect every woman deserves" and urged women to stand together in defence of their dignity. "The women of Dharapuram will speak with a unified voice" on October 6, she said.TVK Minister Arunraj also accused Stalin of using derogatory words against Sathyabama and mocking her appearance."The people of Dharapuram are watching everything," said Arunraj, also alleging that Stalin's remarks showed "disrespect" towards women within the DMK."This is DMK's DNA," he added.The remarks came as Stalin launched a wider attack on the TVK government during his Dharapuram campaign, questioning its performance four months after coming to power.Stalin said the TVK government was "deteriorating" within four months and claimed that even those who had voted for the party were now lamenting its performance."What success do they have to show in four months?" he asked.He also took a dig at the Chief Minister's transition from cinema to politics, saying he had stopped acting in films and had started "acting in reels".Stalin accused the Chief Minister of speaking through shouts rather than addressing issues and challenged him to respond to questions raised by the Opposition.Stalin described TVK as "not a political party but a corporate mafia with investment, working and sleeping partners" and questioned the government's record on its promises.- Ends