Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) conducted a women’s conference on alcohol and drug addiction on 2 October 2024 in Ulundurpettai, Kallakurichi, on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday. Party leader Thol Thirumavalavan inaugurated the conference by giving a speech on the importance of alcohol prohibition.
However, the event soon became a political battleground after senior BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan criticized Thirumavalavan’s participation in the conference. Soundararajan, a former Governor of Telangana and Puducherry, questioned the sincerity of the event, claiming there was no real support for the anti-liquor movement even within VCK.
Soundararajan also pointed out that Thirumavalavan had paid tribute to Kamaraj at a memorial instead of Mahatma Gandhi on the latter’s birth anniversary. She remarked, “Thirumavalavan went to pay tribute to Kamaraj instead of Gandhi. Perhaps he avoided it due to a guilty conscience that his party’s policies don’t align with Gandhi’s principles.”
In response, Thirumavalavan fired back during his speech at the conference, explaining that he had intended to pay tribute to Gandhi but could not due to the Governor’s visit. “The police informed me that I could only pay my respects to Gandhi after the Governor had done so. Since the conference was about to start, I placed the garland meant for Gandhi on Kamaraj’s statue and left,” Thirumavalavan clarified.
However, he didn’t stop there, accusing Soundararajan of insinuating about his habits. “What Tamilisai is trying to say is that Thirumavalavan is a man who can open a bottle every day. Sister Tamilisai, I hope you don’t drink. I hope you don’t have a drinking habit. Like you, I don’t have that habit,” he added pointedly.
Thirumavalavan has a history of speaking derogatorily about women. Here are a few examples.
Hindu Women Are Prostitutes
Speaking at an online seminar on 27 September 2020 organized by Periyarist groups ( European Periyar Ambedkar Comrades’ Federation), Thirumavalavan called Hindu women prostitutes citing Manusmriti.
“If one were to look at how women are valued in Sanatana Dharma… how they are treated… how they are being suppressed for time immemorial… how they are being exploited… what does Sanatana Dharma say about women? Women are basically created as prostitutes by God. All women are prostitutes as per Hindu Dharma… Manu Dharma. All women are prostitutes. That is how they have been created by God. They are of lower status than men. This applies to Brahmin women as well as women of other castes. This is what the Sanatana Dharma says,” he said.
This person who is a MP from the temple town of Chidambaram is pure evil he must be wiped out from the public life and anybody who is associating with him be it DMK or ADMK must also be wiped out from the public life. pic.twitter.com/rOwPszxPUo
— Vishwatma 🇮🇳 ( மோடியின் குடும்பம் ) (@HLKodo) October 21, 2020
Their Women Go Behind Our Men Because Their Men Don’t Have Stuff
A few years ago, he made crass comments on the women of a community. In the video, he is seen saying that ‘their’ women go behind ‘our’ men because ‘their’ men do have have any ‘stuff’.
“For these people, what has been taught as honor is only ‘women matter’… Not any other darn (mairu) thing… They are jealous that their women are not ‘looking’ at them… Those guys are fair, have a moustache, wear ironed clothes, wear shoes worth thousands of rupees, spray scent worth thousands of rupees… Despite all this, they [referring to women of that caste] are not looking at them… But if she is looking at a man belonging to a poor household, born to oppressed class people like Chakliyan, Pallan, Paraiyan, then understand what your [referring to men of those castes] worth is… Women from your community show what you [referring to men of those castes] are worth… ‘Despite having everything, there is no use in you. There is no stuff in you [referring to men of those castes]. Even if he is poor, he has stuff and strength (sarakku midukku)… That is why I go behind him… If you have an iota of honor, hang yourself to death’ is what their women say,“ Thirumavalavan says in that speech.
He further adds “Their men… They don’t care even if their women have slept with our men for 10 months. They will say ‘It is okay… I will wash it off…You come and live with me…’ This is the disgusting politics these disgraceful beings do.”
He also said that when the women of his village or family ran away with another man, the parents would try to persuade the girl to come with them but if the girl stood her ground, the parents would just go take a dip in the river and sever ties with the girl. This speech by Thirumavalavan was made when the Paatali Makkal Katchi had accused the VCK and its men of where luring the young girls in their community into marriage.
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