The appointment of Dindigul I. Leoni as the head of the Tamil Nadu Textbook & Educational Services Corporation by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has triggered controversy.
Dindigul I. Leoni, also known as Dindigul Leoni, is the DMK’s propaganda wing secretary and a pattimandram (debate) anchor on Kalaignar TV. He is known for his sexist statements he made during elections where he compared the waist of Tamil women with barrels.
During the 2021 assembly elections, while campaigning for Karthikeya Sivasenapathy in the Thondamuthur constituency, he said “women have lost their shape” and “increasingly look like a barrel”. He went on to compare their physical shape to that of cows and said that they were starting to look like them since they have been drinking the milk obtained from foreign imported cows. Women activists, political leaders, and the general public all denounced his sexist remarks.
Leoni has emerged in the spotlight following his appointment as the head of the Tamil Nadu Text Book Corporation. His appointment was criticized by a number of women activists, political leaders, celebrities, and journalists.
Women activists have criticized Dindigul Leoni’s recent appointment as the chairman of the Tamil Nadu Textbook Society by Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin, claiming that he has made inappropriate remarks about women in the past.
Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss criticized his appointment in a series of tweets, stating that there is no bigger disrespect to the position than appointing someone who has survived to talk disparagingly of women.
Journalist Sandhya Ravishankar took a dig at DMK for the appointment of Dindigul Leoni to the Tamil Nadu textbook corporation.
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