DMK minister sacked after "disgusting" remarks on sex worker linked to Shaivism-Vaishnavism go viral

Senior DMK leader and Tamil Nadu Minister K Ponmudy was removed from a key party position on Friday following widespread criticism of his remarks about Shaivism, Vaishnavism, and women. The controversy grew after Ponmudy made comments in a video that sparked outrage, including a backlash from DMK MP Kanimozhi.


DMK President and Chief Minister M K Stalin announced that Ponmudy had been relieved of his role as the party's deputy general secretary. However, Stalin did not provide any specific reasons for the decision.


The controversy began after Ponmudy's remarks, which people found offensive, went viral. In the video, he made comments related to a sex worker, which drew sharp criticism from various quarters, including the opposition BJP. The BJP called for his removal from the cabinet.


BJP Vice-President for Tamil Nadu, Narayanan Thirupathy, posted on social media, questioning CM Stalin about the delay in taking action against Ponmudy. He condemned the minister for making "disgusting" comments about women and demanded that Ponmudy be arrested.

Kanimozhi, a fellow member of the DMK, also condemned Ponmudy's remarks. She stated, "The recent speech of Minister Ponmudy is not acceptable. For whatever reason he had spoken, such vulgar words are condemnable," in a post on 'X' (formerly Twitter).

The minister had previously attracted attention for controversial statements, including one linking north Indians to selling pani puri. He made the comment while discussing the importance of learning Hindi and wondered aloud who was selling pani puri in Coimbatore, an apparent reference to Hindi-speaking vendors.

Inputs from PTI